Zari
Thread of gold or silver, or a look-alike, woven or embroidered into rich textiles.
Also: jari, zardozi, gold thread
Zari is a fine metal thread. In the traditional kind, flattened silver wire is wound round a silk core and then gilded. It is woven into the borders and patterns of Banarasi, Kanchipuram and Paithani saris and used in zardozi, a heavy raised embroidery. The word comes from the Persian for gold. Surat in Gujarat has long been a centre of its making. Real zari is costly and can be melted down for its metal. Most zari today uses copper wire or plastic film with a gold-coloured coating.