When it comes to luxury fabrics, one of the most popular is definitely silk. Silk has been around for centuries and will continue to be around because nothing can really come close the uniqueness that is silk. However it’s an expensive fabric and because of this, you can be sold fake silk… or should I say disguised silk.
In this article, you are going to learn how you can determine the difference between was is real silk and what is a fake silk… of a satin polyester fabric. (Not to same that satin is bad… it can be a very luxurious fabric… it’s just not silk.)
First, it’s important to know that satin is not really a fabric. It’s a method to weave fabric so it gets that shiny elegant look and feel. Knowing this helps because anything that says satin on it is not going to be real silk. Many times, manufacturers will even blend satin with silk to bring the cost down.
Next is the fire test. If you buy real quality silk, let’s say silk bedding, then you should get along with your package a small silk square that you can use to do the burn test on. This is actually put into the package for this purpose. When you light silk on fire, you will notice that the ash that is produced is very soft and extremely light. When you burn satin, it’s heavy and very hard.
The next test is very simple, but it works well… you just have to have a good sense of touch. The feel of silk compared to satin should be night and day for you. Silk fabric is softer, lighter, and while slick in feel… it almost has a velvety tough too. Satin on the other hand will feel rough and harsh in comparison.
Finally, it’s good to know about the difference between wild silk and cultivated silk. Wild silk is actually not as luxurious as silk produced in captivity. It has to do with the diet of the silk worms. But the same tests should apply. It will be harder to tell the difference, but there will still be a difference.
That is how you tell the difference between silk and mainly a satin fabric. It pays to know you got the real stuff because it’s actually really hard to find real mulberry silk.
