Gold working techniques were highly developed in the Three Kingdoms period, particularly in Silla as shown by the quantity and quality of the gold objects found in the royal tombs. An essential characteristic of Korean gold working is the almost exclusive use of gold wire and thinly rolled gold foil; there are few objects of solid gold. Often the pieces are further decorated with curved jades and round pieces of gold foil that were attached with twisted gold wire.

In the Silla region many gold objects were also inlaid with beads of glass, this being a highly precious material at the time. Glass was first introduced to Korea around the 3rd century BC and by the Proto-three Kingdoms period (0-300 AD) glass beads and ornaments were produced. The discovery of thousands of blue glass beads in some Silla royal tombs suggests that these were locally made.

The use of granulation (tiny spheres of metal soldered to the background) is another important feature of Three Kingdoms gold working. The technique is thought to have come to Korea through the Chinese colony of Lelang (the present-day Chinese province of Liaoning). Silla artists were extremely skilled in their use of granulation as seen on earrings, fingerings and bracelets excavated from royal tombs.