Metal Paper Towel

Is it save to microwave this bowl with a metal decoration?

I just got some new bowls my grandmother gave me. on the edges there is a thin gold decoration on a flower.

It must be metal because when I warmed up the bowl, little tiny blue sparks came out of the metal or something. it scared me!

But my mom said to just put a few sheets of paper towel over the bowl, and so I did and no more sparks happened.

is it safe to microwave it covered with paper towels or should I just never microwave it? the bowl does not have microwave safe or otherwise on it, just 'made in China'

If it doesn't specify microwave-safe, then it's safe to assume that it isn't microwave-safe. The metal acts as an antenna for the high-wattage electromagnetic microwaves, which causes sparks to appear. The metal will soon overheat. Adding paper towels is most likely not sufficient to block the microwaves (you may wrap food in paper towels when microwaving it, and it still heats up just fine), and there is actually an increased fire risk by doing this, as the sparks may ignite the paper towel.

I would recommend using microwave-safe dishes instead. Glassware should be acceptable, as long as you don't overheat it.

paper towel holder