Silk
When thinking of silk, the first thought that comes to mind is a fabric that is luxurious and elegant. Silk is valued for its many different properties. Silk is very lustrous, lightweight and hardwearing. It is even said “that one filament of silk is stronger then a comparable filament of steel”. The shine and shimmer in silk comes from its structure, a triangular prism that reflects light at varying angles. Not only is silk valued for its many different properties, it can be used in many different ways. Silk can be used in art, decorations, clothing, as well as fabric.
The origins of silk can be traced back to Ancient China. According to literature, silk became popular around 2600 b.c due to the Chinese Empress Si-Ling. Si-Ling raised her own silk worms and created a loom for creating silk. Silk became increasingly popular due to the influence of Christians who wore the rich fabrics and adorned their altars with them. In addition, the noble began to wear the rich fabric. The Chinese were very protective about their ability to make silk. Exposing the secret would make a person subject to torture. The torture would often result in death. However, the secret was eventually exposed. Japan, India, and Italy started to dabble in the silk industry. The material was not ushered into America until the 17th century.
The cultivation of silkworms for the purpose of making silk is called sericulture. The caterpillar of a silk moth is what creates silk. The silk is created when the caterpillar goes into it cocoon. In the cocoon the caterpillar can create 1,000-2,000 feet of silk filament. Silk is made up of two elements. The first element is fibroin, which makes up to 70-90% of the silk. The second element is sericin. Sericin is the gum that is emitted from the caterpillar to glue the fiber to the cocoon. It forms about 10-25% of the silk. The other elements that are needed are fats, waxes and salts. To make one yard of silk, roughly 3,000 cocoons are used.
Silk may be a sought after fabric, but the fabric comes at a hefty price. The high price of silk is due to the complex and time-consuming process that goes into to making silk. Japan was the first country to apply scientific techniques to raising silk worms. As a result, Japan is one of the world’s finest raw silk producers. Other major raw silk producers are China, India, Spain and France. In the 1990’s China was the world’s largest silk producer. They produced about 85% of the world’s silk, which is the equivalent to 3 billion dollars in revenue.
Silk is known for its luxury. Silk is known as being a fabric that falls like water. Even though silk is a fabric that is very delicate, the fabric will make a huge statement in any room. Silk is a fabric that is timeless and elegant, durable and lightweight Silk is a fabric that is going to make anyone breathless.
Works Citied
The History of Silk. (2000). History of Silk. Retrieved December 5, 2011
http://www.silk-road.com/artl/silkhistory.shtml
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