All of us dont mean to be alarmist, but we sometimes see silk rugs that are made of something other than genuine, natural silk. This is not a problem once you learn that the rug you are thinking about is made of artificial cotton, but sometimes carpet dealers neglect to spread this information.

We dont imply to be alarmist, but we sometimes see silk rugs that are made of something other than real, natural silk. This is not a problem if you know that the rug you are considering is made of artificial silk, but sometimes rug sellers neglect to pass on these details! The problem happens usually with just a few carpet types sold in visitor markets in Poultry and India (and quite often in Pakistan).

Real silk is actually produced as the cocoon masking of the silkworm, the pupal kind of the Asian or even mulberry silk moth, bombyx mori. The cocoon will be spun by the man made fiber moth caterpillar of a single silk soluble fiber that can be up to several thousand feet in length. To harvest the silk, accomplished cocoons are boiled or heated to kill the silkworms, after that laboriously unwound into single materials which are plied together and also spun into thread or silk string.

Synthetic silk is everything billed as silk that doesnt come from the silkworm cocoon. Usually this means mercerized cotton; sometimes it means a made fiber like rayon or a blend of chemically changed and/or manufactured fibers. Its not that artificial silk will be intrinsically evil, its that the whole point of employing artificial silk inside a rug is to conserve the cost of real man made fiber. It is not nice if this cheaper, artificial silk rug is misrepresented and sold for that price of a real cotton rugs.

Any ripening cotton boll can easily contain as many as 5,000 separate 100 % cotton fibers, each fiber growing from a tiny seed and formed as a hollow cylindrical sheath of as many as 25 layers of almost real cellulose. Cotton fiber is actually mercerized by being stretched under controlled tension at room temperature although being treated with a 21%-23% solution of caustic soda (NaOH). The effect is to swell the fiber to make its surface far more reflective, thus drastically increasing its shine (and also its tensile strength). Area Rugs After the chemical treatment, cotton yarn is often singed to remove whatever little bit of fuzz remains on the surface of the fibers. At times cotton is calendered by being passed between warmed up rollers. The effect would be to increase the luster as well as sheen of the dietary fiber still more. However it is treated, cotton continues to be cellulose: C6H10O5.

Like 100 % cotton, rayon is made of nearly pure celulose, but rather as compared to being grown, rayon is produced by very first dissolving cellulose (obtained from cotton or perhaps woodpulp) to produce a thick yellow-colored liquid called viscose. The viscose is extruded through microscopic holes into a chemical bathtub that produces long filaments which can be spun into thread and yarn. Viscouse cotton was the first man-made dietary fiber. In 1920, DuPont bought from in france they the technology in making viscose rayon. DuPont first known as the material artificial silk, and created a company (The DuPont Fibersilk Business) to manufacture it. Other artificial fibers might follow quickly: acetate (additionally derived from cellulose) in 1924, plastic, (commonly, adipic acid responded with hexamethylene diamine) in 1939, polymer-bonded (from acrylonitrile, a petrochemical) in 1950, polyester in 1953, and triacetate in 1954.

With all these kinds of artificial fibers about, how can you identify an area rug woven with normal silkFor example handmade rugs,silk rugs,persian rugs,oriental rugs,wool rugs.

To start with, pay attention to whatever hints the dealer--or the rug--gives you. For instance, we have seen many artificial silk Kayseri carpets (and some Hereke rugs), both Turkish types. In Turkey, a real silk Kayseri is an ipek Kayseri: ipek is "silk" in Turkish. A man-made silk Kayseri is a flos Kayseri ( any yun Kayseri has a wool stack). Rugs The dealer might be correctly describing the piece to you as a flos area rug, but by not really explaining the difference in between flos and ipek, he enables you to jump to the intended assumption, and you unknowingly buy an artificial cotton rug.

Indian carpet dealers are seldom as delicately circumspect because some of their Turkish counterparts. Synthetic silk rugs within India are often coldly sold as real silk, complete with certificates associated with authenticity and composed guarantees. For many years Kashmir in northern India has been the major source for both real and artificial silk Indian rugs. Look carefully at the particular "silk" rug: it should be securely woven (with more than Two hundred knots per square. in., and often along with 500 or more knot), intricately detailed, closely clipped, and it must have real silk fringe that is clearly an extension cord of the rug's structure, not sewn on or even sewn into the comes to an end of the rug. Synthetic silk rugs usually have only medium weaves (less than 250 knot per sq. within., and sometimes less than A hundred and fifty knots per in.), and often have cotton fringe. Good quality real silk rugs will have real silk fringe. In Pakistan we often notice rugs called jaldars. These types of wool pile area rugs often have "silk touch," meaning that there is man-made silk inlay in the stack (often outlining area of the design). This synthetic silk is almost usually ivory in shade, and is made of mercerized cotton.

OK, you're looking at a nicely woven, properly patterned, closely trimmed "silk" rug with what seems to be real silk fringe. You still might be looking at a rug made of artificial silk. Here are three field tests that might help you distinguish real from fake. Absolutely no guarantee; your miles may vary.

Rub it! It is sometimes claimed that you can tell real silk from artificial cotton by vigorously massaging the pile along with your open palm. The true silk rug can feel warm, the man-made silk rug stays cool to the touch. We quite often think we have experienced this difference. Of course, it helps to have a real silk rug with you to be able to compare a identified quantity!

Burn this! This test reaches least good theatre, and actually can be helpful. Cut off a small little bit of the fringe, or even pull a troubles out of the rug from your back (why should the master object). Burn this. Look at the ash as well as smell the light up. If the material had been cellulose (rayon), the ashes should be soft and chalky, and the smell should be like burning papers (most paper is constructed of cellulose). If the sample is actually real silk, the actual burning sample need to ball to a dark, crispy ash, and the scent should be of burning hair (you're using up protein, the same things your hair is made of). You've got to be a little cautious with this test to prevent smelling the light up from the match (also to avoid igniting yourself or the rug seller's shop).Dissolve it! The most accurate analyze is one that chemically separates protein from cellulose or petrochemicals. One such test: with room temperature, mix a solution of 16 g copper sulfate (CuSO4) within 150 cc regarding water. Add 8-10 g glycerine, then caustic soda (sodium hydroxide: NaOH) until a definite solution is obtained. This solution will break down a small sample of natural silk, yet will leave cotton, rayon, and nylon unchanged.