Silk – a natural fiber of animal origin obtained from the cocoons of the mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori) or oak silkworm.
The history of silk production dates back to China and 3600 BC, over 5,000 years ago. According to a Chinese legend, the emperor asked his wife to check what pest was damaging the mulberry trees in the garden. The empress noticed that they were white butterfly larvae spinning shiny cocoons. One of the cocoons fell into hot tea, and when she tried to take it out, it turned out that a delicate thread could be pulled from it, which the empress wound onto a spool. This, according to Chinese legend, is how silk was created. The secret of silk production was kept for around 2,000 years, mainly because revealing it was punishable by death. During that time, China had a complete monopoly and exported silk to Europe along the so-called Silk Road. I should add that at that time in Europe, silk was worth a fortune, and to this day it remains the most exclusive textile raw material.
What does the production of real silk look like today?
- 1. Cultivation of mulberry or oak trees, whose leaves will serve as food for silkworms.
- 2. Breeding silkworm butterfly larvae just before the first leaves appear. For 30 days, the caterpillars eat leaves, increasing their body mass 10,000 times, and then they wrap themselves in a cocoon, which takes three days.
- 3. The cocoons are immersed in hot water; on each cocoon, the end of the thread must be found and wound onto a spool — around 1,600 meters of thread can be found on each cocoon.
- 4. The fiber undergoes a spinning process to obtain silk yarn, followed by dyeing to create raw material for fabric production.
We now know what silk is and how it is made, but what about carpets? I have already shown you the worst carpets you can buy, made of VISCOSE, which IMITATE SILK carpets (see).
Now it is time for the best carpets in the world that you can buy: carpets made of real SILK on a SILK warp. In other words, carpets made 100% of SILK.
Silk carpets are the most valued and expensive rugs and are considered highly exclusive. They have extraordinary softness and a beautiful sheen. Thanks to their high knot density, they are also durable. Silk carpets are not damaged by moths either, unlike wool carpets.
How can you recognize a real and valuable silk carpet?
- 1. Price! A silk carpet measuring 1200 mm x 2000 mm cannot cost PLN 1,000–3,000.
- 2. Hand-made craftsmanship.
- 3. A silk carpet warp, which may also be made of cotton, but this significantly lowers its value.
- 4. Country and place of production.
- 5. Number of knots per square meter.
- 6. Carpet pattern, number of colors used to make it, and the weaver’s experience.
- 7. With hand-knotted carpets, it is like with wine — the older they are, the more valuable they become.
The high price of genuine silk carpets results from the very low yield of raw material: from 6–7 kilograms of silkworm cocoons, only one kilogram of silk yarn is obtained, worth around PLN 600–1,000.
How should you care for a silk carpet?
Due to their high value and method of production, they require proper treatment.
Above all, remember that all care procedures should be carried out with the direction of the pile, and never rub one spot locally.
- 1. Vacuum once a week with the direction of the pile, using a vacuum cleaner without rotating brushes.
- 2. Rotate the carpet by 180 degrees every 3 months.
- 3. Remove any liquids by pressing them with a towel or paper.
- 4. Collect food residues or thick liquids with a spoon, following the direction of the pile.
- 5. Every 6–12 months, take the carpet to a carpet laundry for dusting and washing.
Michał Miłowski
