Goldsmith, Radhakrishnan Sundaram Acharya from the city of Coimbatore in southern India has created real gold and silver masks, amid the coronavirus pandemic, to raise awareness on the importance of wearing face coverings in public.

The extravagant masks are created from four layers of gold or silver.

Acharya said: “The masks are both ornamental and also give protection to anyone who wears it. I designed it to be as flexible as cloth and give a rich look to the user."

He continued: “Turning the metal into 0.06mm thin threads was challenging, but I have a special instrument to weave the thread into a mask.

"This mask is now a trend of the upper-class people in southern India."