Silk

From ArticleWorld

Silk is defined as being a natural protein fiber that can be woven towards obtaining textile. It is acquired from silkworm larva cocoons thanks to the complex process of sericulture. Silk is very popular because of its main characteristic: under different angles it reflects light in diverse ways.

History

The development of silk is attributed to early China and appeared somewhere between 6000 BC and 3000 BC. At first only royalty had the privilege of wearing silk clothes. As time passed and the techniques evolved, the spread of the fiber became a reality. It eventually became a very important trading material for Chinese commerce. Sericulture was being kept a secret so that only China could produce it, thus obtaining important financial profits from the monopoly in the industry. The Emperors of China managed to keep production methods secret for a long time and it only reached Europe around the year 550. Silk was used as gifts for personalities and the rest of the material was sold at huge prizes because of the fact that so few people knew how to obtain it. Nowadays silk production can be found in Europe, Asia and North America.

Wild silk

Different and at the same time similar to normal silk, the appearance of wild silk came as an alternative to the monopolized production of normal silk. The difference between them stands in the cocoons used. Wild silk cocoons are gathered from the wild and this translates in the fact that silk is taken from it after the caterpillar chewed through it. This type of silk is chewed in smaller bits and harder to manufacture properly.

Different types of worms can be domesticated and they produce normal silk. Some of them can not undergo the process and thus the only method is to take wild silk from them. The secret and main difference between the two stands in the killing of the pupa by putting it in boiled water or by thrusting a needle through the cocoon. These practices have drawn the attention of animal rights activists that claim they are cruel and need to be stopped or changed.

The most common and expensive wild silk is produced in the Brahmaputra Valley and is called “muga”. It is actually preferred to normal silk because of the golden color and the fact that textiles made from it are more resistant and will outlast all the others.