Quick Hacks to Identify Pure Silk

by Silkruute Official November 24, 2022

Silk has been the most prized fabric in the world ever since its initial discovery around 3000 BC. It's a fantastic, highly durable, and adaptable material, offering many advantages and uses. Real silk is expensive, and because of its beauty and high caliber, it appeals to anyone wishing to invest in a high-end item that will last a lifetime. Given all of this, it should be no surprise that people and businesses worldwide are scrambling to duplicate its qualities and market cheap imitation silks as if they were the real deal.

Today, silk scams are quite popular. Marketplaces, especially online marketplaces, are flooded with fake silks. While artificial silk is appealing but is it worth investing in? Definitely not. Customers don't know what they are buying and from whom they are buying silk. In such situations, it becomes all the more important to identify whether the silk product you invest in is authentic. Here are some ways to help you effectively determine whether the silk you buy is pure or a dupe.

Perform the burn Test

If you have bought silk and are still skeptical about its purity, you can try and perform the burn test on your silk item. Put the edge of the silk accessory on fire. You will witness that the silk fibers would burn slowly and with an almost invisible smoke. The smell of burning silk resembles that of burning hair because the main component of silk, similar to hair, is protein. The ash left behind while burning pure silk feels granular, which is different from synthetic fiber, as burning the synthetic one will leave a black residue, and the smoke will also be black.

Note that you can only perform this after buying the silk item, as no store owner would allow you to put their item under fire before you purchase it.

However, there are some ways to find out about the purity of silk without burning the silk item. Have a look at them:

The Price

This is the easiest way to tell whether the silk is pure. If the silk is genuine, and of high quality, it will be comparatively expensive. A low price indicates that the silk is not pure, and chances are you are being sold synthetic fiber in the name of pure silk.

Touch or Feel of the Hands

Different types of silks are different in texture, making them different from one another when we touch or feel them. When you buy handwoven Tussar silk stoles, you may feel waxy when touching them. On the other hand, when you touch Eri silk, you will find it just as soft as cotton.

The Shine

As we all know, silk has a shimmering look to it. The fabric shimmers due to its structure, allowing light to refract at different angles. Pure silk, when held against the light, produces shine of different hues but synthetic fibers only give a white sheen even when light falls on it from different angles.

To ensure the quality and purity of silk accessories, buying from a reputed brand is essential. Silk Ruute is one such brand long known for its superior quality of silk stoles, scarves, and authentic fibers. If you wish to buy handwoven tussar silk stoles and pure silk scarves, Silk Ruute is the best place.