Goldwork (embroidery)
Goldwork is the art of embroidery using metal threads, or threads with metal leaf wound round a normal textile thread. It is particularly prized for the way light plays on it. The term "goldwork" is used even when the threads are imitation gold, silver, or copper. The metal wires used to make the threads have never been entirely gold; they have usually been gold-coated silver ("silver-gilt") or cheaper metals, and even then the "gold" often contains a very low percent of real gold. Most metal threads are available in silver and sometimes copper as well as  gold; some are available in colors as well. A new coating technology however enables the direct coating of 24K gold on a filament yarn without any other metal or adhesive layer underneath. The same silver and gold thread were also used heavily in the most expensive tapestries, especially during the Renaissance. Goldwork is always surface embroidery and free embroidery; the vast majority is a form of laid work or couching; that is, the gold threads are held onto the surface of the fabric by a second thread, usually of fine silk. The ends of the thread, depending on type , are simply cut off, or are pulled through to the back of the embroidery and carefully secured with the couching thread. A tool called a mellore or a stiletto is used to help position the threads and create the holes needed to pull them through. History. Goldwork was originally developed in Asia, and has been used for at least 2000 years. For much of the time, it was generally reserved for garments of the nobility and men of the church. When illiteracy was common and thus written materials had less impact, "images and the visual realm [had] more power over  the senses and the mind...The pomp and circumstance created by the awe-inspiring use of metal threads in church work was observed keenly by kings and emulated where possible. Origins in China. It is thought that China is the birthplace of goldwork, and that it migrated from there to Korea and Japan. It also migrated from China to the West with silk merchants. In China, embroidery in gold was to be found on imperial and ceremonial dress. Chinese goldwork often used red silk threads for couching, adding a warmer tone to the embroidery. India. The use of goldwork in  India predates the arrival of the Greeks in 365-323 BCE. Indian metal thread embroidery uses precious and semiprecious stones and wire in distinctive ways. England. The record of gold embroidery extends far back in English history. Thomas of Ely noted the Abbess of Ely, St. Etheldrada, who died in 679, was adept at embroidering goldwork and made St. Cuthbert a stole and maniple richly embroidered in gold and adorned with gems. Embroidery was thought to be a fitting activity for noblewomen, both those within and outside of convents. Its use reached a remarkable level of skill in the Middle  Ages, particularly between 1250 and 1350, when a style called Opus Anglicanum (it translates to "English Work") reached its peak in England. It was used extensively in church vestments and hangings. It was quite costly because of the metal threads, gems, and pearls that were used. It is conjectured that some of the artwork used in this embroidery originated in illuminated manuscripts, and may have been designed by the same artists. The decline in the quality of this style of embroidery is thought to be because of the losses during the Black Death. Europe. After this period it was also  used frequently in the clothing and furnishings of the royalty and nobility throughout Europe, and still later on military and other regalia. The Imperial and Ecclesiastical Treasury in Vienna displays vestments decorated with accomplished Or nué in the form of saints. Or nué is a special technique invented in the 15th century, wherein many threads of passing or Japan thread are laid down parallel and touching. By varying the spacing and color of the couching stitches, elaborate, gleaming images can be created. This is commonly used to depict the garments of saints in church embroidery. Contemporary goldwork. Goldwork is currently  a fairly uncommon skill, even among embroiderers who work in other free embroidery styles; it is now most commonly used for the highest-quality church vestments and art embroidery. It has always been reserved for occasional and special use only, due to both the expense of the materials and the time to create the embroidery, and because the threads will usually not hold up to frequent laundering of any kind. This is however not the case with gold yarns coated with newer technologies. Goldwork styles and techniques have evolved thanks to the availability of plastic sequin waste, metallic leather and  other new materials. Goldwork embroiderer and textiles artist Kathleen Laurel Sage regularly uses sequin waste in her designs to create a style that is not found in traditional goldwork. Types of metal thread. A variety of threads exists, in order to create differing textures. In addition, paillettes or spangles (sequins of real metal), small pieces of appliqued rich fabric or kid leather, pearls, and real or imitation gems are commonly used as accents, and felt or string padding may be used to create raised areas or texture. Silk thread work in satin stitch or other stitches is often combined with  goldwork, and in some periods goldwork was combined with blackwork embroidery as well. Using newer technology, it is possible to coat yarns with pure 24 karat gold that are workable just like normal embroidery yarn. These yarns furthermore have a very well washing behaviour: they can be washed several times without losing metal. As there is no silver layer underneath the gold, the thread neither starts to oxidize as gold is inert.