What is the frame made of? I was going to suggest rub and buff, until I read you wanted two colors, so not sure if that would work. If the frame is wood, I would suggest paint or stain. There is dark wax you could use that may darken the whole thing up, but the frame would need grain or texture for the wax to "adhere" to the darker areas. Again, without seeing/feeling the frame, not sure that would work. Is the back of the frame the same - where you could try out different methods?

Sadly for the $600 price point, it's MDF :/ I'd like to keep the surface as is, but just darken the whole thing.. Maybe just use a very fine grain sanding at most, if needed, to help something adhere, but overall I'd like what's there to continue being there, just "daken" it . Thanks for replying.

Perhaps you could try a darker glaze to paint over the entire frame. This may be thinned and more forgiving.

Here is an article about glazing and wax.

https://lostandfounddecor.com/use-antique-glaze-dark-wax-painted-furniture/

Is it too late to return it?

I'm no help at all because I actually like how the burnished gold looks with the darker part of the room in the reflection.

Maybe spend more money on accessories to bring in the gold colour into your room. :)

Use two different colors of RubnBuff. Spanish copper and Grecian gold. That is what I would try.

I agree with trying Rub 'n' Buff. That stuff works miracles. I used it to deepen the color of a large gold colored metal frame to a darker copper shade in a last ditch effort before having the painting reframed. Worked perfectly.

To give you an idea, this is copper and gold on wood. If you want it darker, use more copper.

When I took this photo it looks like it was rubbed but not yet buffed. I used these squares as backplates on my kitchen hardware.

I've darkened candlesticks that looked similar in silver tones with black shoe polish but at a $600 cost, it might be worth it to exchange or return for what you really want.

Thank you, but bought online and my husband was real fast at getting rid of all packaging. I sure would send it back and not be in this predicament. I'll investigate Rub 'n' Buff.

This is exactly what I was hoping to get, advice such as that :) thank you all !!

Could you just use shoe polish - the wax kind?

I agree with beckysharp about it looking good as is with your darker pieces. I like its warmth and dimension.

Arapaho brings up a good point, as do others. $600 is a hefty sum to risk if it's not exactly what you want. I redid a large new C&B mirror and it took me three tries before I got it right enough to not be ruined. My mirror was half the cost of yours but in the middle of the process I was kicking myself for ruining a perfectly good mirror. I was attempting to go from a gold-toned silver to a silver without gold tones--single process, not dark/light. Rub N Buff was my first--and worst--choice. It did not get along with the original surface. I forget the next thing I tried, but Liquid Silver Leaf saved the day and the mirror survived to hang in my bathroom.

Of course you're not proposing a metallic finish, but getting something dual-toned to look good, only darker, can be a carpshoot. If you can test products and techniques on a hidden spot, perhaps on the back, it will be a safer bet. $600 is a chunk of change. Good luck.

Bunny, so glad to read your comments. I have a gold framed mirror that I hope to change to silver and have been considering Rub N Buff. On my way to hunt down Liquid Silver Leaf.

graywings, C&B is still selling this mirror (Silver Birch) and it looks silver online. The customer service guy I called at the local store said, yes, it's silver. But it was most definitely gold-toned silver. It was actually a lovely color for somewhere else in my house but not the designated bathroom. I was sick with how it looked after using R&B, which I'd used successfully on other projects. It was awful. The mirror was flat on a spare bed and it was easy to work on it. I was going for broke with the silver leaf paint because it couldn't get any worse.

Thank you all for chiming in. I went to Lowe's and got Rust-Oleum Universal Metalic , both Flat Chestnut and Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paints, intending to use the Chestnut mainly, but I'm scared to and the receipt is attached to the cans. I might just live with the mirror a little longer and see. My intention was to brighten the area, and boy did it ever!, LOL.

I'm not foreign to DYS projects and even worked at Michael's farm-shop for a few year, was a certified framer, but the extreme smoothness of this frame is what scares me to work with, it's placement above the livingroom couch, and the original price tag... I think I'll sleep on it a few nights at least ;)

About Rub N Buff. - I 've never worked with it and being there is already so much gold in the mirror I wonder if using Ebony/Black Rub N Buff is an option, but using a very thin coat? any thoughts? Thank you

A thick coat is better for smooth surfaces. Otherwise it will rub off when you buff. The process is different for non porous area because it needs time to dry. I am in the process of doing this right now changing a silver slick table to gold.

More product is needed for nonporus areas. Otherwise it looks almost transparent. You won't get a true black. Only a black haze. Use a thick coat no matter what color you go with.

Thank you, Translucent is what I want :) Will it scratch off with a fingernail when applied to a very smooth surface, as someone put it that i was just watching apply it on Youtube?

No it will not scratch but make sure you allow plenty of time for it to dry and don't rub it too much. It will take several hours to dry. On most surfaces it takes seconds but not on smooth ones. If it is not dry it rubs off .

Test a small section first. On my silver table a thin coat of gold still looks silver with a gold haze.

Sounds good, thank you so much.

Wow, that looks fantastic! Well done!

Wow! That’s a lot of effort and patience, but it looks beautiful and I’m glad you ended up with what you wanted.

It looks fabulous!

That is incredibly beautiful! Fantastic job!

Thanks for coming back and showing us the end result. Love it!

Thank you so much for everyone's help!! I'm definitely happy with it.

Just beautiful! I see a similar scenario in my future. We're coming up on a bathroom reno and searched a very long time before finally finding mirrors that were the right size and shape. The finish is garbage, though, despite the ridiculous price and I'm summoning the courage to redo the frames. All the other elements in the room are coming together nicely and I expect it will be beautiful so nothing less than a perfect result will do. Wish me luck!

Again, congratulations...gorgeous!!

I "highly" recommend Rystoleum Painter's Touch 2X for anything that spray painting will work on. It's really amazing paint.

JnB you have the patience of a saint! That's quite the DIY journey you went on but in the end you have a beautiful one of a kind frame. Well done.

Great job and idea to paint gray, edge in gold. So glad for you it didn't end up at the dump!

great job! Looks fab.