Silk

Silk is one of the world’s quintessential luxury fibers. Noted for its beautiful sheen and smooth texture, it is no wonder that silk was one of the most sought after fibers throughout time. Silk is distinguished as one of the oldest natural protein fibers. From thousands of years ago to present day, silk is still made the same way- from a silkworm. Through its creation, uses, and history, silk has remained a popular fiber that never goes out of style.

Even with today’s technological advances, making silk is still extremely tedious process. Silk originated in China, being harvested and woven from the cocoons of moths. An incredibly unglamorous procedure, the process begins with bombyx mori (silkworm) larvae eating mulberry leaves, which makes the silk white and easy to dye. Weeks later, they then begin to wrap themselves in a cocoon with silk they produce. After the cocoons have formed, they are put into boiling water so the larvae die. People can then begin to unravel the cocoon and extract the silk. Unfortunately, each cocoon only produces a few grams of silk (Yates, 2002). The real art of silk-making then comes in its refinement, where the fibers may be separated into several strands, dyed, and then woven together by skilled artisans (Frank, 2006). The amount of time, skill, and resources needed to produce silk make it all the more valuable and sought after.

There are many different varieties of silk: raw silk, spun silk, wild silk, Noil, and Doupioni silk. Raw silk is silk that has not had the gum (the substance that stiffens the cocoon) boiled off of it.  Spun silk is spun from unusable cocoon scraps that can’t be reeled. Silk that is harvested after the moth has broken out of the cocoon is called wild silk, because the filaments are broken. Noil is a type of spun silk made from silk waste, known for its “nubby” texture. Lastly, Doupioni silk is created from the double fibers produced when two worms are in one cocoon (Yates, 2002).

Innovations are being made, however, in the type of worms and caterpillars that are used to produce the silk. For example, it has been recently discovered that a species of lacewing can make silk, almost three times as strong as common silkworms. That is because it has two fibrous proteins which give it strength and elasticity (Williams, 2009). Silk has found many uses over the centuries. The most common uses of silk are usually in fashion and bedding (Cue images of Fabio lying in silk sheets on a romance novel cover), but silk has many other uses as well. Its fibers have found themselves woven into medicine, bullet-proof vests, and industrial applications because of its durability. It was even used for parachutes before the invention of nylon (Williams, 2009).

A question that many ask is, “How was silk discovered?” After all, it is a little strange to see a substance emitted out of a silk worm and come to the conclusion that it would make wonderful fabric. Myths say that the empress Leizu of China had the idea to weave silk after a cocoon fell into her tea cup and began to unravel. She then studied the art of cultivating silk worms and started a trend (Fan, 2003). There is no evidence to prove this, however. All archaeologists can tell us is that first evidence of silk was found in Xia County, Shanxi around 4000 to 3000 BCE, and that silk exportation became a major venture for China (Fan, 2003).

Thousands of years later, silk is still as treasured today as it was then. It is a beautiful fiber that can still evoke a sense of luxury. The next time a silk shirt is on sale, consider, the labor-intensive process used to make it. Since silk is timeless anyways, it will be worth every penny.

References

Fan, Lizhu (2003). The Cult of the Silkworm Mother as a Core of a Local Community Religion

in a North China Village: Field Study in Zhiwuying, Baoding, Hebei. The China Quarterly No. 174.

Frank, Nelson (2006). Factory-raised silkworms eat well, die young to produce garments,    

bedding. Santa Barbara News-Press. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-143795133.html

Williams, Brain (2009). Stalking the secret of silk- Lacewing gives strength to the smoothest of

            fibres. The Brisbane Courier Mail.           

Yates, Marypaul (2002). Fabrics: A Guide For Interior Designers and Architects. New York,

            NY: Norton & Company Inc.