Silk Curtains - Elegance And Luxury

Of the many natural fibers known to us today, silk is certainly among the oldest. It has been around for centuries and people love it for its delicate and luxurious feel. It is derived from silkworm that is bred in captivity before harvesting. The silkworm weaves a cocoon around itself and on emerging from the cocoon, it tears up the cocoon of fine threads that we know as silk. This natural process is very slow and farmers don’t find it very viable. So, to hasten up the process, the farmers put the cocoons in hot water that kills the larvae but keeps the cocoon in tact. It may appear quite unpleasant, but that’s the way to make the best silk.

Silk, because the slow process of producing it, is not available in abundance like most other fibers and is therefore rather expensive and historically found its patronage among the wealthy and royal people. Archaeologists have established that the material was used on mummies of ancient tombs of Egypt. But, Chinese are known to have used silk ever since their recorded history, and Chinese silk is still considered the best all over the world.



There is an interesting story as to how the Chinese discovered it. It tells us of a Chinese princess enjoying her cup of green tea out in the garden when she realized that some cocoon had dropped in her cup and on taking it out she discovered that it was all made up of fine smooth threads of which she got a piece of her dress made. Silk is a superb material for clothing. It has the natural characteristics of keeping the wearer cool in summers and warm in winters, just like the cocoon that kept the developing larvae safe during different weathers.

Silk curtains: Silk, apart from being used as a clothing material is also used for making curtains. Any room provided with silk curtains radiates luxurious and romantic looks. It’s a great way to decorate your room with silk curtains. They gleam and glisten with the changing intensity of natural light falling on them. They are lightweight also. Silk is a very delicate material and therefore demands better care than the usual cotton curtains. On being exposed to the sun for long, silk gets faded easily and may even rot. So, people devised a preventive measure by way of providing a layer of some other material in between the window and the silk curtain. Some people prefer to use shutters or blinds to ease out the situation. However, using a sheer curtain at the back of the silk curtain is simpler and not so expensive solution of this problem. It also gives the benefit of depth to the window. By tying back the silk curtains and exposing the sheer or lace curtains of your bedroom, you can create a truly magnificent atmosphere in the room.

Commercially silk is available in three grades of varying prices. The low grade of silk is made from cocoons that get damaged by whatever means and yield shorter threads is therefore the cheapest. This variety of silk lacks that luxurious texture of a high quality silk, and gives the feel of a better quality of cotton. The next higher grade is known as wild silk. Though of better grade, it tends to give a gray tinge and not the rich pearly white shine that people love to have from silk. The final and the best grade is called mulberry silk, and is the finest quality that one can have. Obviously this is the most expensive variety with its characteristic softness and elegance. People, who like to have silk curtains but find them too expensive, often opt for a silk like material produced synthetically and known as faux silk. The material can’t be expected to live up to the real thing and often causes disappointment sooner than expected.

Taffeta, plaid, beaded and embroidered are all different and popular varieties of curtains made from silk, but the most popular style of silk curtains is Dupioni. Weaving together two different colors of silk makes these curtains. It’s amazing to see light paving its way thru such curtains. They simply make the whole room come alive.