Silk

History

The history of silk goes back to the 3^rd chilliad B.C.E. At this time the silk was first mentioned in Chinese documents. Through the “Silk Road”, what then was the international trade route, the silk was delivered together with other trade goods westward.

For centuries silk was the prefered material of noblemen, and due to the high price it was reserved only them. Even today silk is a very rare, fine and valuable material, especially the excellent net or filament silk

"Although Koza Han (in Bursa) for long times isn’t filled with snow-white silkworm cocoons, the name of this building and the city of Bursa are still equalised with silk in Turkey. Since 2,600 B.C.E. silk was verifiable produced in China. For more than 2000 years the Chinese took care to this secret like to their eye ball. A myth reports that in 149 B.C.E Hakan, the king of Khotan in Turkistan (today the area extends from the Caspian Sea to the desert Gobi) married a Chinese Princess. She did not like to miss the silk production, so she smuggled some cocoons with silk worms in her headdress into her new homeland.

Later Hakan sendet 400 silk producers to Bursa and so spread the silk worldwide. During the Ottoman governance Bursa was not only the silk supplier for the Ottoman Court, but as well for the European manor-houses. Already in the 15^th century Bursa exported silk in the whole world and was counted as an important centre for the breed of silk worms.”

Source of picture and German original text: Turkish Information Office for Culture and Tourism on pressetext.de

Characteristics

Silk is the finest and at the same time the most firm and stretchable thread, what is created by the nature. Until now the scientists could not manage to rebuild this thread.

Silk is characterised by its sheen and high firmness, however the thread is very stretchable. Due to this elasticity silk is almost crease-resistant. Silk affects isolating against cold and warmth, because as a natural fiber silk “breathes”: Silk is frigorific in summer and warming in winter and as well as wool it is able to store water up to one third of its own weight, without feeling wet. Due to the low density silk is very light. Silk takes smells very hardly – and gives it off easily. It is tear- and rubbing-resistant and therefore very durable. Dyeing silk are achieved eminently brilliant colours.

Due to these excellent charecteristics the silk is perfect dedicated to produce finest carpets.

Main Qualities of Silk

Net or filament silk

The inner endless thread of the cocoon, what can be up to 4,000 meters long, is unwounded. These thread is eminently mellow, smooth and fine. Due to its rareness it is particularly valuable.

Staple fibre silk

Before the inner endless thread for unwounding is reached, the short fibres on the border are plucked. Also on the end of the endless thread there are fibres, what can not be unwounded, but has to be plucked. These “Clippings” are taken to spin the staple fibre (or schappe or spun silk). The spun silk differs from the high grade filament silk due to a some rough and knotty surface.

Bourette Silk

To produce the Bourette silk the very short, not other to use fibres of the cocoons, are spun in a special method (chunky spin method).

Usage in Hereke silken Carpets

The silk, which is used in Hereke Silk Carpets, is strictly filament silk with a very long thread from Bursa. The cocoons are released gently, so that does not occur any break. The threads twisted with that fibres do not splice a lot. It is heavy, flat and best robust. In comparision the thin Chinese thread is light, prude and splicing.

The warp thread of a genuine Hereke Silk Carpet is never super thin and never clean white. Of course it is fine, in another way knot densities of more than 4 million knots per square meter were not possible, but it is never so fine, that it were possible to discerp it. Its natural colour goes always into the pearly, while the warp threads of the Chinese silk carpets are vital clearer.

Source picture silk cocon: Wikipedia