Fibroin is a protein fibre produced by larvae during their cocoon stage and consists of a continuous filament produced from the silkworms salivary glands. The silk production can be summarised into the following 6 steps. A female silk moth lays around eggs per month. The eggs hatch into larvae which feed from the burberry leaves.
During their growing process, the hatched larvae molt 4 times. When climbing onto a twig, they extrude some of the fibroin protein and create a net to hold themselves to the twig. The netted larva swings itself while excreting the saliva that forms the silk.
The silk solidifies and becomes a solid cocoon. In days, the larva spins about 1 mile worth of silk filament around itself. The next step is known as the degumming process : The silkworm larvae is boiled to remove the sericin and free the filament. At this stage, the poor larva dies.
The start of the filament becomes visible by gently brushing the boiled cocoon and is then wound onto a reel. One cocoon will produce around 1, yards of silk filament. The single silk filaments are combined to form a strong silk thread which will be woven to produce fabrics.
Mulberry silk is the bulk of silk produced around the world, especially in China, Japan and Korea. The name refers to the variety of silkworm which feeds entirely on mulberry bushes. They are domesticated and reared indoors which requires extra care to maintain its smooth texture.
Another variety of silk is produced from various spider species including Nephila madagascariensis. Spider silk is the most difficult to produce as spiders do not produce as much silk and cannot be bred like silkworms.
That makes this variety very expensive, reducing its common uses. It is one of the most durable types of silk and is used in the production of bulletproof vests and wear-resistant clothes. Another commercially known type of silk is Tasar silk. It is produced from wild caterpillars, called Tasar silkworms. Due to its strong properties, this variety is mainly used in furnishing and it is mostly available in its natural color of copper since it is very tough to dye.
It takes around 35, silkworm cocoons to make 5. These 35, cocoons are produced from about 30g of silkworm eggs, which in turn require about a ton of Mulberry leaves to feed on. Being a by-product of an animal, silk is not vegan. There are many criticisms about the production process of silk. For instance, PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals campaigns against mass produced silk and appointed it to be the second-worst material for the environment, just after leather.
Therefore, silk is considered highly unethical as the silkworms are boiled alive and killed during the extraction process. The Silk Road was born when the Han government sent one of their generals West of China to establish trade relationships with foreign states.
The road stretched over 6, kilometers, all the way from Eastern China to the Mediterranean Sea. At the time, silk was one of the most valuable goods China had to offer.
It was even considered to be more expensive than gold. Silk was seen as a luxurious good, thanks to its shimmer, lasting quality, and beautiful drape. As a result, lots of silk was traded or gifted in return for foreign products. As so much silk passed over this extraordinary trading route, it was later aptly named The Silk Route.
China also had other valuable goods to offer the world, such as tea and paper. In return, they received gold, silver, horses, jewels, and much more. The Silk Route continued to contribute to the development of many major ancient societies until sea trade became more popular in the late Middle Ages. At this point, many countries had already learned how to produce their own silk. For thousands of years, China managed to keep a monopoly on silk production. The Mulberry silkworm is native to China, and parts of China also have a favorable climate for growing Mulberry trees.
These two natural resources, along with the knowledge of sericulture, were needed to produce silk. The Chinese were serious about keeping their monopoly on silk making. They even enforced a ban on the transport of silkworms and their eggs to other countries. Anyone who disobeyed this ban could be faced with the death penalty. It was not until much later that the secrets of silk production left China. It is said that the Byzantine emperor hired monks to smuggle silkworm eggs out of China in AD.
These monks supposedly smuggled the eggs in their hollow bamboo walking canes, all the way from China to Constantinople. The monks were also said to bring along knowledge of sericulture.
This was the first time a country other than China had access to silkworms and learned how to make silk fabrics. It is also likely that sericulture was spread by Chinese migrants who made a living of silk-making abroad. Just like the Chinese, the Byzantines aimed to keep a monopoly on silk production after learning this precious art. With a monopoly, they were able to maximize their profits when trading silk. The Persians developed their own patterns and designs when weaving silk.
However, it was said that Chinese silk was still superior in quality when compared to Byzantian silk. Thanks to its superior quality, Chinese silk remained popular despite the appearance of some healthy competition.
After hundreds of years around AD, the Byzantines lost their monopoly on sericulture in their region. This was when the Arabs conquered Persia, where they discovered how to make silk. It took a while for other countries in the West to discover sericulture. During this time, around the year , travelers from Constantinople set up their silk-making business in Italy.
Today the Como region in Italy is still renowned for its silk-making. Before silk-making became widespread in what is now known as Europe, its residents obtained silk by trading with China through the Silk Route. Initially first reserved for Chinese royalty, silk spread gradually through the Chinese culture both geographically and socially. From there, silken garments began to reach regions throughout Asia.
Silk rapidly became a popular luxury fabric in the many areas accessible to Chinese merchants, because of its texture and lustre. During the later half of the first millennium BC, demand for this exotic fabric eventually created the lucrative trade route now known as the Silk Road, taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wools to the East.
Named after its most valuable commodity, silk was considered even more precious than gold. The Chinese realized the value of this beautiful material they were producing and kept its secret safe from the rest of the world for more than 30 centuries. In the 7 th century, the Arabs conquered Persia, capturing their magnificent silks in the process.
0コメント