Its use reached a remarkable level of skill in the Middle Ages, when a style called Opus Anglicanum was developed in England and used extensively in church vestments and hangings.

It has always been reserved for occasional and special use only, due both to the expense of the materials and time to create the embroidery, and because the threads – no matter how expertly applied – will not hold up to frequent laundering of any kind.

[1] Evidence exists for the use of woven (not embroidered) gold thread around the Mediterranean and Western Asia as early as the 4th century BCE, as fillets, ribbons, and bands or borders applied to garments.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, it was generally reserved for garments of the nobility and church hangings and vestments, and as a luxury technique survived from ancient times in the Middle Ages.

[5] 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.

[6]: 214 In China, gold embroidery is a traditional Chinese craft with a long history which was originally used in the imperial palaces and temples.

Gold embroidery is attested in the Mycenean and Wessex bronze age culture dating back to 1700 BC although it was only used for weapons.

[3] Italian centers of silk production (Lucca, Venice, Florence, and Milan) producing cloth of gold started appearing after the Crusades.

[17] Gold thread which was made out of beaten metal strips wrapped around a silk core was introduced in the subcontinent from Singapore.

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.