Silk - a fabric made from threads
of cocoons of silkworm. Silk manufacturing technology was first developed in China and silk was shipped to Europe along the Silk Road.
Silk began to be produced in the 4th millennium BC, before the technology of
making paper was developed.
China, Japan, India made silk, which had a high
value: only the emperors and their proxies had the right to use such a fabric.
Silk cuttings were used in ancient times as a means of payment. In the Middle
Ages, the Chinese began printing banknotes on silk cloth. Their production
continued until the twentieth century: the central financial organs of the Qin
Empire, the cities and provincial treasuries, private banks and trading firms
issued special silk banknotes to secure large payments.
The best for the production of
silk in our time are the cocoons of the silkworm caterpillar Bombyx mori.
The thread that they produce is thinner and smoother than the threads of other
kinds of caterpillars, so this property simplifies the technology of making
silk.
In our time, the main manufacturer of silk in the world is China.
Properties and application of silk
Silk is a natural biofiber, the composition includes amino acids, which are
contained in human skin cells
Common advantages of silk fabrics:
• hygroscopicity;
• thermoregulation (maintains a comfortable balance of heat and moisture);
• hygienic (bactericidal);
• Elasticity - matter is stretched well and does not deform;
• silk - hypoallergenic material;
• wear resistance - the material serves for a very long time, is resistant to
tearing, friction, does not lose its aesthetic appearance for decades.
The difference between natural silk and artificial
Artificial silk is made from yarns formed as a result of processing cellulose.
Thus, the silk produced does not have the advantages of natural silk, and
therefore it is less valued.
If you burn the threads of natural silk, you will smell the burnt feathers and
the ash is rubbed in your hands, leaving no lumps. Artificial silk smells (when
ignited) with plastic and leaves a droplet like glue.
Accessories made of natural silk, made in hand-painted batik, have all the
positive qualities of the most natural silk and the exclusivity of the artistic
image, which is achieved by author's hand-painted.