About Silk

Ever heard of the phrase “Queen of Textiles”? Well, this is what silk has been referred to as for more than 4,000 years. To quote Oscar de la Renta: "Silk does for the body what diamonds do for the hand." After all, it is the ultimate fabric that simply exudes sophistication.

Mulberry Silk

The highest quality silk available comes from silkworms produced from the Bombyx mori moth. They’re fed an exclusive diet of mulberry leaves, which is why the luxurious fabric is known as mulberry silk. Jasmine Silk’s duvets, pillows and toppers are made by 100% grade-A long-strand mulberry silk, making them some of the most comfortable options for bedding. Because of its price, there are many suppliers selling cheaper silk duvets filled with a mix of polyester and silk, or chopped strand silk, which is essentially offcuts that can’t be used for anything else. Our silk duvets come with a small inspection zip where you can inspect the quality of the silk inside the duvet. This is why you can be sure we only offer products of the highest standard.

Charmeuse Silk

Charmeuse is a luxury fabric made from silk with a satin finish. Thanks to its floating appearance, it drapes incredibly well. This is why it makes a first-rate choice for both bed linen and formal wear. We use the heaviest weight (19 momme) Charmeuse silk for all our silk bed linen.

For silk sheets, a momme weight of 12-19 is considered good quality with those in the range of 16-19 being very high quality. Cheap silk sheets almost always have a low momme weight because physically less silk has been used to make them. Anything lower than 12 momme feels lightweight and flimsy, and not particularly smooth or luxurious. What’s more, it tears easily, is difficult to wash and doesn’t last as long as those that are heavier.

A-Grade Long-Strand Silk

Not only is our silk heavy in weight, but we also insist on using only long-strand silk. Although not often discussed outside the textile industry, the length of the strands makes a big difference to the feel of the silk, as well as its strength and durability. Longer fibres produce smoother yarns while shorter fibres have tiny surface ends, resulting in a fuzzier yarn that doesn’t feel as soft.

Momme Weights

Mommes (mm) are units of weight traditionally used to measure the density of silk. It is similar to the use of thread count for cotton fabric. The usual range of momme weight for different weaves of silk are:

• Gauze – 3 to 5 momme weight

• Chiffon - 6 to 8 momme weight

• Habutai - 5 to 16 momme weight

• Charmeuse – 16 to 19 momme weight

How Silk is Made

To get just 12lbs of raw silk takes approximately 30,000 silkworms. The most prized silk comes from the Bombyx mori moth as it’s a special species that produce a thread that is round, fine, smooth and strong - just the qualities people look for when it comes to silk. The diet of the silkworms also makes a difference to the end product, with those feeding on the leaves of the mulberry tree producing the most luxurious silk around. At Jasmine Silk, we are extremely fortunate that the Hangzhou region, where we make our silk, is naturally rich in mulberry trees.

Silk is made by the silkworm as it builds its cocoon and is extruded or pushed out in one continuous strand, which is several hundred metres long. When unwound, it is specially treated using ancient techniques and then woven into the world’s finest luxury fabric.

You can obtain more in-depth details of how silk is made over on our blog: https://blog.jasminesilk.com/how-is-silk-made/

Jasmine Silk Bedding

When you buy sheets, pillowcases or duvet covers from Jasmine Silk, you can be sure that you’re buying the best quality. Our range of bedding is made from 100% mulberry silk with a momme weight of 19 and a thread count of 400, making it some of the best on the market. You can see and feel the difference, and you’ll find your bed linen washes well and lasts for years.