Understanding Silk
History suggests that Silk has been valued and treasured by many for thousands of
years as an object of elegance, luxury and grandeur. Man is inquisitive of silk
products. Silk is called the queen of textile because of the shine and glamour associated
with it. The combination of shine and Glamour has made silk popular throughout the
world. Silk is made of proteins secreted in the fluid state by 'silkworm'. Silk
contains 18 amino acids and protein fibers which is healthy for human skin and hair.
To measure the quality of silk fabrics Mommes (mm) and Thread per Inch (TPI) is
commonly used. Mommes (mm), is a unit traditionally used to measure the quality
of silk fabrics. One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter; 8 mommes is approximately
1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter.The usual range of momme weight
for different weaves of silk are:
- Gauze—3 to 5 mm
- Organza—4 to 6 mm
- Habotai—12 to 16 mm
- Chiffon—6 to 8 mm (can be made in double thickness, i.e. 12 to 16 mm)
- Crepe de Chine—12 to 16 mm
- Raw silk—35 to 40 mm (heavier silks appear more 'wooly')
- Charmeuse—12 to 30 mm
Normally, the higher the momme weight, more durable the weave, more luxurious the
fabric is, the more suitable it is for heavy-duty use, and the longer the shelf-life.
The heavier the silk, the more opaque it becomes. This can vary even between the
same kinds of silk.
Thread count or threads per inch (TPI) is a measure of the coarseness or fineness
of certain fabrics, most notably cotton. It's not the definitive measurement of
the quality of silk fabrics. It is measured by counting the number of threads contained
in one square inch of fabric, including both the length (warp) and width (weft)
threads. The thread count is the number of threads counted along two sides (up and
across) of the square inch, added together.
In silk, threads can vary greatly in terms of diameter and length. Normally, the
19mm silk has a thread count of 300-350, H&M 19mm silk usually has a minimum thread-count
of 400 which is already what some would refer to as "luxury", our 22mm has a thread-count
of 600 and our 25mm silk an even higher 750 which is why we insist that our products
is truly the best in the market.
