Background is royal blue, black woven, Thai silk swatch below enlarged 1,000%!

Silk FAQ 20:

How can I be sure
my silk is 100% pure?

The four basic methods for determining true silk are by: 1) considering the price; looking carefully at the 2) weave and 3) luster; and 4) by burning a piece!

1) Pure real silk costs 6-10 times as much as imitation silk made from polyester.

2) Our 100 percent pure Thai silk weave is completely homespun and hand made. The filament is a natural fiber with clearly visible small flaws and joins in the thread along the warp and the weft. Imitation silk made from polyester is a machine-made fabric and has a perfect surface with no flaws or bumps.

3) Luster also shows whether a fabric is real or imitation. Our pure Thai silk is usually made with one color for the warp and another color for the weft. This produces the sheen and luster of our silk and creates the unique two tones and blends which change depending on the angle of light. Imitation polyester silk shines white regardless of the angle of the light.

4) If you burn Thai silk (a thread or two is enough) with a flame, it leaves fine ash and smells like burning hair. When you take the flame away it stops burning. If you burn imitation polyester silk with a flame, it drips, burns with a black smoke, and continues to burn after the flame is taken away . The three different sizes of digital images for each silk swatch on the World of Thai Silk web site make it easy for you to see the unique qualities of real Thai silk so you probably won't need to resort to the burn test.