A reverse microemulsion method is reported for preparing monodispersed silica-coated gold (or silver) nanoparticles without the use of a silane coupling agent or polymer as the surface primer. This method enables a fine control of the silica shell thickness with nanometer precision. As compared to the Stober method reported for direct silica coating, which can only coat large gold particles (similar to 50 nm in diameter) at low concentrations (< 1.5 x 10(10) particles/mL), this new approach is capable of coating gold particles of a wide range of sizes (from 10 to 50 nm) at a much higher concentration (similar to 1.5 x 10(13) particles/mL). Moreover, it enables straightforward surface functionalization via co-condensation between tetraethyl orthosilicate and another silane with the desired functional groups. The functional groups introduced by this method are readily accessible and thus useful for various applications.