Gold and silver embroidery is done with metal wires or threads in various thicknesses.  In India, gold thread is produced by gilding a piece of silver with a layer of the purest gold available.  The piece of gilt silver is beaten out into a wire, which is then drawn through successive holes in a steel plate until the wire is, literally, as fine as a hair.  The delicate wire is hammered flat and wound around a strand of silk similar in color to the metal.  The flexible thread that results can be used for weaving or embroidery.

Peasant style embroidery also utilizes gold and silver thread, although to a lesser extent than court embroidery.  The embroidery of Kutch, Kathiawar and Sind features interlacing stitchery in bright colored cotton or silk thread and mirrorwork, and uses metallic thread only as an accent.  Employing a technique introduced by Arab traders in the 9th century, Kutch embroiderers use a hook to introduce the thread from beneath the ground fabric to produce large ,flat designs in interlacing, darning, herringbone and chain stitch.  Sometimes, small mirrors are added and couched down with chain stitch.  The embroidery of Kutch, Kathiawar and Sind, like the phulkari work, and unlike Kashmir embroidery, is essentially a folk art owing nothing to court patronage.