From the time of its discovery, silk was one of the most wanted fabrics for garment makers and wearers alike. This is because silk is durable, luxurious, and has many amazing benefits for your skin among other benefits. Silk is also a very expensive fabric, making it attractive to those who want to make a pricier purchase to add to their wardrobe. It is therefore no surprise that companies have sought to make “dupes” or complete replicas of the fabrics.
How can I identify authentic silk?
Knowing if your silk is authentic or fake can look like a daunting task. This is because fake silk can be made to look a lot like real silk at face value. To help you, we have a few tips to help you make the best decision every time
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Touch: One of the ways that you can identify authentic silk is by touching it. Silk is a soft and smooth yet noisy fabric. When you feel the silk, you should scrunch it up in your hands. The silk fabric should make a crunching noise. If your silk feels soft and smooth to the touch, with an almost waxy feel, it is definitely authentic.
The Ring Test: Another way to test the authenticity of your fabric is to use the ring test. Take a ring and place it on your fabric, then gently pull the silk through the middle of your ring. Authentic silk will smoothly move through your ring without any issues. Synthetic fibres however will get caught or bunch up as it passes through.
The Burning Test: Please note that doing this test might cost your silk fabric because you risk burning your fabric up, so we do not recommend it. However, this is the most accurate of all tests regarding finding the authenticity of your silk fabric. For this test, you will need a lighter or matchstick. Burn your silk and smell it. Real silk will smell like burning hair and produce brittle ash, and once you remove the flame it will stop burning. If you however smell burning plastic and see no ash, you have yourself some synthetic fibres.
Paula London is a designer and retailer of silk scarves and garments. Our fabrics are 100% authentic silk fabrics of the best quality, crafted to perfection to meet your fashion needs. Check out our new collection here.
