Raw and scoured silk

silk cocoons, raw silk and scoured silk

Silk is a natural protein fibre, obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori, reared in captivity (sericulture).

The silk thread is made up by 74% fibroin and 23% sericin (3% remaining is made by dye). Sericin gives to raw silk his specific tactile poperties: matting and roughness. But sericin dissolves totally in hot soapy solution. 

We can call “Raw silk” the crude one which usually appears dull, rough and pretty hard, white or amber coloured. Submitting raw silk to “scouring”, a specific washing process, we obtain “Scoured silk”, which, on the contrary, appears very soft, smooth and iridescent.