Silk

trade routes through Asia connecting China to the Mediterranean Sea

thumb|Raw silk of domesticated silk worms, showing its natural shine|360x360px Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven or knitted into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin (75-80%) and a smaller coating of sericin (20-25%). It is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori, which are reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmery appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fiber, which c

insect from the moth family

Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth is the most widely used and intensively studied silkworm. This species of silkmoth is no longer found in the wild as they have been modified through selective breeding, rendering most flightless and without defense against predators. Silk is believed to have first been produced in China as early as the Neolithic period. Today, China and India are the two main producers, with more than 60% of the world's annual produc

species of insect

Late Valencian Gothic style civil building in Valencia, Spain.

filament material produced by spiders

frazione of Italy

any of various fabrics with twisted threads, often crinkled surface

thumb|Illustration of Leizu teaching people to cultivate silkworms.

thumb|Skirt made from organza thumb|Organza bag protecting a plant. Organza is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk. Many modern organzas are woven with synthetic filament fibers such as polyester or nylon. Silk organza is woven by a number of mills along the Yangtze River and in the province of Zhejiang in China. A coarser silk organza is woven in the Bangalore area of India. Deluxe silk organzas are woven in France and Italy. Organza is distinguished by its crisp hand, stiffness relative to weight, and slippery surface texture.

Fibroin is an insoluble protein present in silk produced by numerous insects, such as the larvae of Bombyx mori, and other moth genera such as Antheraea, Cricula, Samia and Gonometa. Silk in its raw state consists of two main proteins, sericin and fibroin, with a glue-like layer of sericin coating two singular filaments of fibroin called brins.

right|thumb|upright=0.8|Silk foulard thumb|190px|Marek Jakubiak with foulardA foulard is a lightweight fabric, either twill or plain-woven, made of silk or a mix of silk and cotton. Foulards usually have a small printed design of various colors. By metonymy, it can also be an article of clothing, such as scarves and neckties, made from this fabric. In men's neckties, foulard is a pattern rather than a material; it is a small-scale pattern with basic block repeat, also called a set pattern or a tailored pattern.

ribbed or corded fabric with a wavy or watered appearance

silk manufacturer

tough, plain-woven fabric made from wild silk

silk woven in or distributed via the Byzantine Empire

Sericin is a protein created by Bombyx mori (silkworms) in the production of silk. Silk is a fibre produced by the silkworm in production of its cocoon. It consists mainly of two proteins, fibroin and sericin. Silk consists of 70–80% fibroin and 20–30% sericin; fibroin being the structural center of the silk, and sericin being the gum coating the fibres and allowing them to stick to each other.

species of insect

any synthetic fiber which resembles silk

thumb|upright|Handspinning

Byzantine historian

Wikimedia history article

coarse wild silk from the silkworms of moths of the genus Antheraea

species of insect

Fabric produced using silk-like clam secretions

species of insect

thumb|Detail from the "Martyr Cope" (1270), gold on red silk samite, brought from France in 1274. Uppsala Cathedral Treasury.|300px

thumb|The , Diocesan Museum, Bamberg The '''''' () is a Byzantine silk tapestry which represents the triumphal return of a Byzantine Emperor from a victorious campaign. The piece was purchased, or possibly received as a gift, by Gunther von Bamberg, Bishop of Bamberg, during his 1064–65 pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Gunther died on his return journey, and was buried with it in the Bamberg Cathedral. The fabric was rediscovered in 1830, and is now exhibited in the Bamberg Diocesan Museum.

Chinese philosophical and medical works written on silk

technique in Chinese silk tapestry weaving

thumb| Habutai (from the Japanese , literally "feather-two-layer", also spelled habotai or habutae) is one of the most basic plain weaves of silk fabric. While it was traditionally woven in Japan, most habutai is today woven in China. It is normally a lining silk but can also be used for T-shirts, lampshades, summer blouses or very light lingerie. It is quite easy to dye and can be found in many stores.

thumb|Dupioni fabric. thumb|Dress in brown dupioni, 1940s/early 1950s Sweden. Dupioni (also referred to as douppioni, doupioni or dupion) is a plain weave silk fabric, produced using fine yarn in the warp and uneven yarn reeled from two or more entangled cocoons in the weft. This creates tightly woven yardage with a highly-lustrous surface and a crisp hand. It is similar to shantung, but slightly thicker, heavier, and with a greater slub (cross-sectional irregularity) count. In Japan a cocoon containing more than one silkworm is called .

textile museum in China

In spiders, the calamistrum is a row of specialized leg bristles used to comb out fine bands of silk. It is only found on cribellate spiders, that is, spiders that possess the spinning organ known as the cribellum. The calamistrum and cribellum are used to form the hackled bands of silk which are characteristic of the webs of these spiders. The calamistrum is found on the upper margin of the metatarsus of the hind legs. Each bristle of the calamistrum is serrated on one side and smooth on the other.

wild silk fibre from the cocoons of the Atlas moth (Attacus atlas)

textiles produced in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, from various silk fibres

Textile museum in Yokohama, Japan

painted artwork on silk

A , also known as souvenir jacket or tour jacket, is a type of satin blouse jacket often embroidered with orientalist motifs that originated in post-World War II occupied Japan.

Wikimedia template

strong wild silk from the cocoons of Samia cynthia ricini

type of silk bobbin lace