The goodness of "a word spoken at the right time" is spoken of as if it were the physical beauty of "apples of gold in settings of silver." Most translations translate this metaphor as a simile and change the order of the phrases. AT: "A word spoken at the right time is beautiful like apples of gold in settings of silver" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
The ancient Israelites did not know the apples that most people know today. Possible meanings are 1) "apples" should be translated as "design." AT: "a golden design carved into a silver bowl" or 2) "apples" refers to another type of fruit with a golden color that someone has placed on a silver plate or bowl. AT: "Golden colored fruit placed in a silver bowl"