All you wanted to know about SILK

Merely mentioning silk causes the mind to think luxury. Reading how silk is made and the history behind the production of silk is absolutely fascinating... and makes understanding the cost associated with silk seem like a bargain! The variations in silk prices come from the variety of silkworms and the quality of the cocoons associated with the type of worm.
Sericulture is the production of raw silk by raising silkworms. The main producers of silk are China and Japan. China is credited with the first production of silk around 3000BC. Production of silkworms relies on many environmental elements which affect the feasibility of silk production in other parts of the world.

Silk fibers are collected from cocoons of the silk worm which is the caterpillar stage of the silk moth Bombyx mori.


The silk worms are treated to a luxurious life to produce their cocoons. Their environment is kept at controlled temperatures through their life cycles to insure they will live to produce a cocoon. The worm stage is fed crushed mulberry leaves around the clock, allowing it to multiply its weight 10,000 times within a month.
Each silkworm cocoon is made up of a single fiber that is 600 to 900 meters long. Five to eight strands of the filament that are unwound from a silk worm cocoon are used to create silk thread. The silk thread is then used to create silk fabric. Imagine how many silkworms were breed to produce one silk blouse!