Solid and hollow metallo-dielectric spheres are created by layer-by-layer self-assembly. The discrete metallic nanoparticles, which make up the shell, form a contiguous layer that exhibits a collective plasmon resonance with a splitting of the dipole mode into transverse and longitudinal modes. The splitting can be controlled by the number of self-assembled octa (3-aminopropyl)silsesquioxane (NSi8 capped Ag nanoparticle (see Figure) layers deposited.