Silk is a soft luxurious fabric that adds beauty to the garment; there are different types of silk available worldwide.
Silk is okay to make fabric from nightgowns to big bed sheets, and silk is naturally the most robust textile in the world.
Furthermore, silk has several properties that distinguish it from other fabrics; they are suitable for any climate.
They absorb quickly and dries quickly. The robustness of silk is also another property of silk. Silk odors and colors well. Lastly, they bland well other animal and vegetative fibers.
Silk production is from silkworms. The quality of silk fabrics depends on the species of silkworm and the type of weave used to create the silk.
Furthermore, it is interesting to note that different types of silk cant be known unless a magnifying lens is used to inspect the quality of the silk.
Silk is from a wide variety of silkworms with different qualities, so understanding the different types of silk will help you choose the best silk for your needs.
This article is a guide to some types of silk fabrics.
Types of Silk
1. Mulberry Silk
Mulberry silk is one of the types of silk. This silk is the most favorite silk globally, and it accounts for around 90% of silk produced globally.
The most popular kind of mulberry silk is made silkworm is the bombyx Mori silkworms.
Furthermore, the threads of mulberry are the strongest and smoothest types of silk, and this type of silk is also known for its ability to hold moisture very well.
However, there are different mulberry silkworms because they are of varying quality—the quality of silkworms measured in Grades.
Grade A silk is the silk with the highest quality of raw silk. This type of silk from cocoons develops correctly. Grade B is the next in line, and this type of silk is from cocoons that didn’t develop properly.
However, Grade C silk comes from the inner portion of the Cocoon, and these types of silk usually have shorter fibers.
Furthermore, since this type of silk is the most common, mulberry silk can be seen quite easily. Countries of the world such as China, Japan, and Korea have an abundance of this mulberry silk.
2. Eri Silk
Eri silk is indigenous to India, and they were derived from the domesticated Philosamia ricini silkworm.
Eri silkworms are domesticated, raised, and fed with castor leaves until they grow to full size before spinning Cocoon.
Furthermore, Eri silk is nicknamed peace silk because the silk caterpillars are not destroyed in the Cocoon.
Instead, they allow the caterpillar to emerge as a moth and live an entire lifecycle fully.
Furthermore, the worm will be boiled inside the Cocoon, leaving a hole for the Cocoon to emerge from.
Aside from the mulberry silkworm, the other domesticated silkworm today is the Eri silkworm which means without humans; the silkworm can not develop.
This type of silk is regarded as the world’s most sustainable fabric. However, this silk is not commonly used for most materials because of its elasticity and is heavier than other silks.
They can also harbor microorganisms as it is easier for the organism to stick on its thicker layer.
However, this type of silk can be your choice of warmth during the winter because of its thermal properties.
3. Tasar Silk
Tasar silk is also known to be Tussah silk, this type of silk is naturally gold in color produced by several species of a silkworm.
The most common silkworm with this type of silk is the Tussah silkworm, and Tussah silkworm consumes Tannin-rich leaves hence the fold color of Tasar silk.
Furthermore, these silkworms often live within the trees in the wild forests of China, India, Japan, and Sri Lanka.
Tasar Silk is more textured than mulberry silk, making it softer to use, but the only reason mulberry silk is widely used is that mulberry silk is more durable.
4. Muga Silk
We can’t talk of Muga silk without mentioning the Indian state of Assam. Muga silk is a type of silk found in Assam, and the silk is known for its natural golden color.
Furthermore, this muga silk is semi-domesticated, and they are considered more eco-friendly. More eco-friendly because the silkworm does not require delicate care.
Muga is affordable, and because of the region specificity, Muga silk is suitable in making the India Saare, a traditional garment worn in India.
5. Spider Silk
Spider silk is one of the different types of silk. You might be surprised, but ancient cultures have long used spider silk.
This type of silk is challenging to produce because you can not just breed spiders the way you breed silkworms.
Furthermore, you should note that spiders cannot produce as much as the yarn a silkworm can produce.
However, spider silk is strong; the tensile strength of spider silk is like that of alloy steel.
6. Mussel silk
Mussel silk is also known as sea silk. This silk-like spider silk is also not gotten from silkworms. Sea silk is so rare to find and, therefore a lot more expensive than the other type of silk,
Furthermore, this type of silk is produced by a mollusk known as Pinna Nobilis. But unfortunately, this mollusk is gradually going into extinction due to the effect of pollution.
