Silk fiber
The
word silk comes from ancient English: sioloc, from ancient Greek: σηρικός,
Romanized: serikos, "silken", finally compare from Asian sources
Mandarin s ī "silk". Silk fiber is a natural protein fiber that we get from
insects and can be woven into textiles. Silk protein fibers are composed
primarily of fibroin and are produced by insect larvae specific to cocoon
formation. The most well-known silk captive mulberry silkworm Bombyx is found
in Mori's larvae cocoon.
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| Silk Yarn |
The shiny appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism structure of silk fiber
that allows the silk fabric to reflect the light coming from different angles
and producing different colors. Silk is produced by several insects but moth
caterpillar silks are used to make textiles. There have been some studies on
other types of silk, which differ at the molecular level. Silk is mainly
produced by the larvae of fully transformed insects, but some insects, such as
web spinners and raspy cricket, produce lifelong silk.
History of Silk Fibre
Silk
cultivation spread to Japan around 300 AD and during Byzantine time’s silkworm
eggs was able to hatch and silkworm farming was started. The Arabs also
started producing silk at the same time. As a result of silk cultivation,
Chinese silk exports became less important even though they still dominated the
luxury silk market. The Crusades brought silk production to Western Europe,
especially to many Italian states, which saw the rest of Europe export silk
economically. In Europe, the silk industry was very much industrial changed at
the time of the revolution. Due to the innovation in spin cotton, cotton became
much cheaper to make and as a result, more expensive silk production became
less mainstream. New weaving technologies, however, have increased production
efficiency. Among these was the Jacquard loom, which was made for silk embroidery.
Epidemic production of several silkworm diseases declined, especially in
France, where the industry never recovered. In the twentieth century, Japan and
China regained its former role in silk production, and China is now again the
world's largest silk producer. The emergence of new fabrics like nylon has
reduced the prevalence of silk around the world and silk is now again a rare
luxury, much less important than its legacy.
Type of Silk based on Origin
Many countries are producing silk all over the world. Such as below-
1. China Silk
The silk used in the fabric was first developed in ancient China. The earliest
evidence of silk is the presence of silk protein fibroin in soil samples from
two tombs at the Neolithic site Jiahu in Henan, dating to about 8,500 years
ago. Legend has it that a Chinese empress, Leizu, was credited with developing
silk. Silks were originally reserved for the Chinese emperor for their own use
and gifts to others but increasingly traded in Chinese culture and both
geographically and socially and later in many parts of Asia. Due to its texture
and luster, silk quickly became a popular luxury fabric in various areas
accessible to Chinese merchants. Silk was in great demand and pre-industry
became the mainstay of international trade. Although historians are skeptical
of the long history of the structural textile industry in ancient China, this
discovery of silk textiles using complicated techniques of weaving and dyeing
provides evidence of the date of silk before Mawangdui-discovery and other
silks related to the Han Dynasty. In order to maintain the monopoly of China,
the emperors of China tried to keep the knowledge of silk cultivation secret.
Nevertheless, sericulture reached Korea with technical assistance from China in
the early 200 BC, the ancient kingdom of Khotan in 50 AD, and India in 140 AD.
Many civilizations, such as the Eurasian continent and the ancient Persians, benefited
economically from trade.
2. Indian silk
Silk
is known as Resham in eastern and northern India and pattu in southern India.
India has a long history. Recent archaeological discoveries at Harappa and
Chanhu-daro indicates that the sericulture of wild silkworms, a species of
natural silkworms, occurred in South Asia during the Indus Valley Civilization
between 2450 BC and 2000 AD. Although there is hard and fast evidence for silk
production in China until 2570 BC. Shelagh Vainker, a silk expert at the
Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, who saw evidence of silk production in China
significantly before 2500-2000 BC. He suggested the people of the Indus Valley
Civilization either harvested silkworm cocoons or traded with people who knew
enough about silk. After China, India is the second-largest producer of silk in
the world. About 97% of raw mulberry silk comes from six states of India,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and West
Bengal. The 20 million Silk City of North Bangalore, Ramanagara, and Mysore,
the incoming site contribute to most of the silk production in Karnataka. In
Tamil Nadu, shell farming is concentrated in Coimbatore, Erode, Bhagalpuri,
Tirupur, Salem, and Dharmapuri districts. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, and
Gobichattipalayam in Tamil Nadu was the first automated silk railing units in
India. In silk consumption, India is also the largest consumer of silk in the
world. The tradition of wearing silk sari for weddings and other auspicious
occasions is a tradition in Assam and southern India. Silk is considered a symbol
of royalty, and historically, silk was primarily used by the aristocracy. The
silk garments and saris produced in Kanchipuram, Pochampally, Dharmaram,
Mysore, Arani in the south, Banaras, Bhagalpur in the north, and Murshidabad in
the east is quite recognized.
3. Thai silk
It
is produced from the Thai silkworm cocoon. Thai silkworm farmers cultivate both
types of domestic silkworms that produce silk commercially: Samia Ricini,
commonly known as Eri Silkworm, which produces matte Eri silk, and Bombyx Mori,
the producer of the more well-known, glossy mulberry silk. The second is the
largest silk producer of the two so far. In Thailand, the Silk in Excellence in
Center Sericulture research at Kasetsart University's Kamphaeng Saen Campus
plays a leading role in research on silkworm egg supply and how Thai farmers
can learn. It was not very interesting in Thai silk and was only considered
suitable for fancy clothing, to be able to easily identify authentic Thai
mulberry silk, the Thai Ministry of Agriculture used the peacock symbol to
authenticate Thai silk and protect it from counterfeiting. These are the golden
peacock, the silver peacock, the blue peacock, and the green peacock. Thai silk
has a unique luster, a sheet with two unique blends: one for color straps and
the other for weaving. Its color will change when viewed from different angles
of light. When Thai silk burns, it smells like hair. Silk is similar to the
combination of human hair and nails. When the flame is removed, the Thai silk
stops burning immediately. Thai silk is usually 10 times more expensive than
synthetic silk. An easy way to identify authentic silk is to test the wedding
ring. It will pass easily when pulling the silk fabric through a ring.
Imitation fabrics will become bunches and it will be difficult or impossible to
pull with the ring.
4. Bangladeshi Rajshahi Silk
The
silk which is produced in Rajshahi is called Bangladeshi Rajshahi silk. It is
like other types of silkworms. Very thin fibers obtained from this process are
covered with sericin, a special protein. It is popular because its quality is
high, for this reason, it is used for making high-quality clothing, especially
for saris. Records date the beginning of silk production in this region in the
13th century. It was called Bengal Silk or Ganges Silk. In 1952, the government
of Pakistan started silk production in Rajshahi. Rajshahi Silk Factory is a
state-owned factory established in 1961. In 1976, it was handed over to the
Bangladesh Silk Cultivation Development Board. It has been doing damage ever
since. There are three main types of silk: Mulberry Silk, Eri Silk, and Tassar
Silk.
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