Metal lace

Lace made using gold wire has been produced since antiquity, with examples of gold netting found in Egyptian and Assyrian tombs from 1500 to 1000 BCE. Gold lace and braiding was a popular option for military uniforms because it resisted tarnish, unlike other metal laces. Contemporary gold lace usually has a high silver percentage, which can be as high as 90%, with the actual gold content as low as 3%. ==Copper lace==

Lace made from copper wire was widely used in Elizabethan era theatre costuming as a substitute for more expensive gold and silver laces. It was a major import, with several tons of copper thread being imported into England between 1594 and 1596, and at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, cost between 9 and 16 pennies an ounce. It had a tendency to tarnish, and was less hard-wearing. ==Other metals==

A type of die stamped metal "lace" was produced in the 19th and 20th century as a trimming for coffins. Coffin lace became a major industry in Birmingham, where its manufacture in the 1860s could use up to 70 tons of tin per year. Like other laces, machine-made versions of imitation metallic laces became available. Metal fence designs with lace motifs are another type of metal lace. Created initially as a student design project by Joep Verhoeven, various chain link fence segments with traditional lace motif designs have been displayed. The history of metal threads and their use in contemporary lace continues to be an area of research. Using knowledge and skills associated with incorporation of metal threads into textiles such as lace may assist in the integration of e-textiles and sensors into future products. == Gallery ==

File:Pair of gloves MET DP159838.jpg|Pair of gloves with early bobbin lace File:Stomacher with goldwork France.png|Stomacher with goldwork France File:France, Strasbourg, mid-18th century, Period of Louis XV - Cap - 1919.855 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|France, Strasbourg, mid-18th century, Period of Louis XV - Cap - 1919.855 - Cleveland Museum of Art File:Glovesvanda.jpg|Gloves, V and A File:Fragment of Lace LACMA M.67.50.7.jpg|Fragment of Lace LACMA M.67.50.7 File:Trimming (Italy), early 17th century (CH 18384469-2).jpg|Trimming (Italy), early 17th century (CH 18384469-2) File:Fragment (Italy), 17th century (CH 18173163-2).jpg|Fragment (Italy), 17th century (CH 18173163-2) File:Length of Lace LACMA M.67.50.15 (1 of 2).jpg|Length of Lace LACMA M.67.50.15 (1 of 2) File:Night cap MET DP159783.jpg|Night cap MET DP159783 File:Cap, 17th–18th century (CH 18344921).jpg|Cap, 17th–18th century (CH 18344921) File:Cap Crown (Austria), 19th century (CH 18562325).jpg|Cap Crown (Austria), 19th century (CH 18562325) File:Machine-made_Openwork_Samples_(USA),_ca._1910_(CH_18710727-2).jpg|Machine-made metallic lace File:AKM_-_Kl%C3%B6ppeln.jpg | Metal lace in progress ==References==