Natural silk is the finest thread obtained by heat treatment of silkworm cocoons. Under the influence of temperature, 400 to 1400 m of thread can be produced from a cocoon. Due to the fact that the process of silk production takes a lot of time and is labor-intensive, natural fiber is expensive.
Nowadays, silk fabrics can be counterfeited so that it is difficult to distinguish them from natural ones. And if the label says 100% silk, this does not mean that the product is made from natural raw materials. There are several secrets and conditions for checking silk for naturalness.
How to understand that you have natural material in your hands
Natural silk fabric is divided into:
- Satin is a durable, long-lasting, hygroscopic, shape-stable and beautiful material. Natural silk satin is a fairly heavy, recognizable, elegant and expensive fabric. Products made from it shimmer beautifully in the sunlight.
- Filigree silk is a fabric made from a mixture of gold and silk threads for sewing clothes for the highest ranks of the clergy. The most expensive type of silk fabric.
- Gas is a light and delicate, breathable, translucent, hypoallergenic fabric. Airy fabrics are used for decoration.
- Crepe. It practically does not wrinkle, drapes well, and is wear-resistant. There are many varieties of crepe fabrics, such as crepe de chine and crepe satin, the main advantage of which is their naturalness.
- Organza is a fabric that does not wrinkle, does not shrink, retains its shape, is durable, and lets light through. This type of silk is used for decoration and sewing various products.
- Satin does not wrinkle, is pleasant to the touch, retains heat, is durable, and looks beautiful. It is mainly used for sewing bed linen.
- Taffeta is a durable, wear-resistant, glossy, water-repellent, shape-stable fabric. A very strong material that is used for industrial purposes.
- Chiffon is a light, colorfast, durable, hypoallergenic, hygroscopic, antibacterial material. Chiffon items are light, as if flying. It is mainly used for sewing summer clothes.
- The tussock is affordable, durable, hygroscopic with a matte shine. It is customary to sew everyday clothes from this fabric for different climates and seasons.
- Foulard is an antibacterial, hypoallergenic, hygroscopic fabric that drapes well. It is mainly used for sewing curtains.
For your information! To obtain 1 kg of silk raw material, 18 kg of silkworm cocoons are needed.
Natural silk fabrics have the following advantages:
- They are breathable. This allows silk clothing to allow the body to breathe;
- good moisture absorption. The material quickly absorbs and evaporates sweat;
- It is an elastic fabric. It stretches easily, but the fibers do not deform;
- adapts to body temperature due to good thermoregulation;
- Protects against skin parasites such as lice, dust mites and bedbugs.
It is important to know whether natural silk is electrified. One of the positive qualities of this fabric is that silk is practically not electrified. It has a slight static effect. To understand whether silk is electrified or not, you need to see if it sticks to your hands and feet. To avoid this effect, you need to wash silk items with conditioner.
Please note! To prevent silk products from becoming magnetic, they can be washed with the addition of hair shampoo and rinsed with conditioner.
To check how silk burns, you need to separate a few fibers from the fabric and set them on fire. Natural fabric will have a burning smell of wool or paper when burning. Burning is slow, and if you remove it from the fire source, the fibers stop burning. Synthetics will burn quickly. It melts with a plastic smell. Artificial silk burns quickly and smells like paper, if you remove the fire source, it will still continue to burn.
Silk material is shape-stable and almost does not wrinkle, unlike artificial fabrics. At the same time, it drapes well.
What is artificial silk
Artificial silk, also known as viscose, is a material that is difficult to distinguish from natural silk. Viscose has a completely smooth surface, soft and elastic. If natural silk is made from silkworm cocoons, then artificial silk is made from cellulose. Viscose is also natural, but has different properties. Artificial silk is more similar in quality to cotton fabrics. Viscose was created to imitate it.
Important! Don't confuse viscose with synthetic silk. Synthetic silk is made entirely of chemical fibers.
Properties of artificial silk:
- soft;
- easy;
- smooth;
- allows air to pass through well;
- almost does not become electrified;
- draped;
- lasting;
- hypoallergenic.
The disadvantages of artificial silk include:
- does not allow air to pass through well, does not breathe;
- wrinkles;
- can easily tear when wet.
It is widely used in everyday life, as it is much cheaper than natural silk. Fabrics made of artificial fiber are often used in sewing clothes, curtains, accessories, tablecloths. They are also used to make blankets and bed linen. Products made from this fabric are soft and comfortable, but require careful care.
With the help of modern technologies, three types of viscose fabric have been developed:
- Modal. This type of viscose is made only from beech and eucalyptus. Modal products are durable, elastic and have high hygienic properties.
- Lyocell. To obtain this type of fiber, cellulose is treated with methylmorpholine oxide. The threads are quite strong and similar to natural silk. The price of such material is quite high.
- Siblon. Made from coniferous wood. The fabric practically does not wrinkle or shrink.
Viscose products require delicate care. It should be washed at a temperature of 30-40°C on a hand or delicate wash cycle.
How to distinguish artificial from natural and synthetic
Due to the difference in the cost of the material, it is very important to be able to identify and distinguish artificial material from natural and synthetic. Some manufacturers may use a mixture of them in their products. In this case, the quality of the product becomes worse, and the cost to the buyer remains high.
Well-made viscose often looks like natural silk fiber. There are several simple methods to determine natural silk:
| Properties | Natural | Artificial | Synthetic |
| Shine | Delicate and matte | Distinct metallic | No |
| Ability to absorb moisture | High, up to 40% of its own weight | Average, 12-15% of own weight | Low, no more than 5% of own weight |
| Combustion | It is baked into balls | It burns, emitting the smell of burning paper. | Burns quickly and melts like plastic. |
| Breathability | Increased | Average | Low |
| Hypoallergenic | Does not cause allergies | Some of the chemicals may cause allergies, but the likelihood is low. | May cause allergies due to chemical composition |
| Strength | high | Low when wet | Medium strength |
| Electrification | Does not become electrified | High electrification | Accumulates static electricity |
The surest way to test natural material to distinguish it from artificial is to watch how silk burns. Synthetics will immediately begin to melt. Artificial thread will catch fire and emit the smell of burnt paper. And natural silk burns with the smell of burnt hair or wool.
You also need to check whether the silk creases or not. To do this, squeeze the material in your hand, and if there are folds on it, then it is not natural silk.
Products made of natural silk are quite expensive, but the quality speaks for itself. They will last much longer than the same ones made of artificial fabrics. That is why it is so important to understand the fabrics and check their quality.
