GOLD-WORK

Goldwork is a luxurious, glamorous form of embroidery using metal threads.

The term "goldwork" is used even when the threads are imitation gold, silver, or copper.

Goldwork is always surface embroidery. the vast majority is a form of  couching (techniques in which yarn or other materials are laid across the surface of the ground fabric and fastened in place with small stitches of the same or a different yarn); that is, the gold threads are held onto the surface of the fabric by a second thread, usually of fine silk.