SILK STORIES

Pale silk cocoons in a ceramic bowl beside a wooden spool of fine raw silk thread, showing the labour-intensive raw material behind finished silk

Why Is Silk So Expensive?

Silk is expensive because it's made almost entirely by hand, at a creature's own pace. It takes thousands of cocoons to make a single kilogram, and labour alone is roughly...

Why Is Silk So Expensive?

Silk is expensive because it's made almost entirely by hand, at a creature's own pace. It takes thousands of cocoons to make a single kilogram, and labour alone is roughly...

A close-up of ivory mulberry silk fabric held to the light, its colour-shifting sheen and fine weave revealing it as real silk

How to Tell if Silk Is Real: A 60-Second Test

You can usually tell in under a minute. Real silk lists its momme weight, has a colour-shifting sheen, warms to your touch, and a burnt thread smells of singed hair....

How to Tell if Silk Is Real: A 60-Second Test

You can usually tell in under a minute. Real silk lists its momme weight, has a colour-shifting sheen, warms to your touch, and a burnt thread smells of singed hair....

A close-up of ivory silk charmeuse folded back on itself, showing its glossy lustrous front face and softer matte reverse

What Is Silk Charmeuse? (And How It Differs Fro...

Charmeuse is a weave, not a fibre. Silk charmeuse simply means charmeuse-woven silk — the smooth, liquid-surfaced fabric most fine silk pillowcases are made from.

What Is Silk Charmeuse? (And How It Differs From Mulberry Silk)

Charmeuse is a weave, not a fibre. Silk charmeuse simply means charmeuse-woven silk — the smooth, liquid-surfaced fabric most fine silk pillowcases are made from.

Skeins of pearly-white raw mulberry silk thread in soft natural light, their long even fibres and clean lustre visible

What Is 6A Grade Silk?

6A is the highest grade of raw silk there is — measuring how long, even, clean, strong and pure-white the thread is before it's woven. Here's what it means and...

What Is 6A Grade Silk?

6A is the highest grade of raw silk there is — measuring how long, even, clean, strong and pure-white the thread is before it's woven. Here's what it means and...

Three folded silk fabrics side by side — smooth ivory mulberry silk, a textured golden wild silk, and a soft matte cream silk — showing the differences between silk types

Is Mulberry Silk Better Than Other Types of Silk?

For almost anything you'd rest against your skin or hair, yes — mulberry silk is the finest there is. Here's how it compares to tussar, eri and muga, and where...

Is Mulberry Silk Better Than Other Types of Silk?

For almost anything you'd rest against your skin or hair, yes — mulberry silk is the finest there is. Here's how it compares to tussar, eri and muga, and where...

A woman in soft natural daylight gently holding and examining a flowing length of lustrous undyed ivory mulberry silk fabric

What Is Silk and Where Does It Come From?

Silk is a natural protein fibre spun by silkworms — mostly the domesticated moth Bombyx mori, which wraps itself in a cocoon of one continuous gossamer thread. Here's what silk...

What Is Silk and Where Does It Come From?

Silk is a natural protein fibre spun by silkworms — mostly the domesticated moth Bombyx mori, which wraps itself in a cocoon of one continuous gossamer thread. Here's what silk...