Identify
The market is currently flooded with low-quality, low-cost imitations of natural silk and handloom products. Although the trained eye of a professional craftsman is often the best judge, Katansi has some pointers to help you tell the difference between the sublime and the ridiculous!
Comparison between Pure Silk & Artificial Silk
For its opulent softness and lustrous beauty, pure silk is renowned. No other fabric drapes or shapes the figure more attractively than naturally obtained pure silk, which is frequently referred to as "the queen of all materials".
Pure & Artificial silk can be more identified by following tests:
Touch Test: When you rub pure silk with your hands, it feels warm, but when you rub art silk, it is impossible to sense that warmth.
Luster: Natural silk has a pearl-like shine that is exquisite. The fibroin of pure silk has a structure that diffuses light, giving it the impression of changing colour as the light's angle changes. Regardless of the angle at which the light is falling, art silk emits a white gloss.
Burn Test: Art silk burns with a fragrance akin to burning plastic rather than the smell of burnt hair associated with genuine silk. Art silk continues to burn even after the flame is extinguished, but genuine silk stops burning when the flame is extinguished. You can test it by lighting a single thread with a match.
Age Test: The more time that passes, the more exquisite pure silk becomes! Imitation silk typically ages over time.
We only use pure, natural fabrics at Katansi.
Power comes from knowledge. The more you learn about different fabrics and weaving techniques, the more difficult it is for someone to mislead you.
Always ask the seller questions about the craft. Asking too many questions can make purposefully careless suppliers feel uncomfortable and can easily catch out uninformed vendors.
