If you are looking for a beautiful soft and conversation starting silk rug, then you are probably willing to shell out a fair bit for it. However, you also want to be sure that the product you are investing in is completely real! You might think that silk is quite a distinctive fabric in both look and texture, so how could it possibly be faked? Your question is well founded but unfortunately it can be done, and there are in fact many rugs on the market which are faking their origins in dramatic ways.
The Problem with Fake
The main problem with fake is the longevity and the quality of the product. The fake rugs out there are created well and they definitely look authentic, however when you get down to the nitty gritty it’s obvious that they just don’t make the cut. The fiber that is used to create artificial silk is known as Rayon, and it is quite possibly one of the weakest fibers around. This weakness will cause your rug to become frayed at the edges with a faded colour underneath a hideous yellow tinge. It will age fast and get ugly even faster. The real difficulty is, when the rug is fresh and new the appearance and the feel of rayon is no different to cultivated silk and this makes it incredibly difficult to tell real from fake. So how can you work it out?
Check Out the Detail
Silk rugs that are created using pure cultivated silk will be incredibly thin and very pliable, there will also be a high level of intricate detail within the design and this due to the fact that working with silk allows manufacturers to use very high knot counts per square inch. A fake rug on the other hand will feel thicker to the touch and the colours will be bland and flat looking. There will also be a much more minimal level of detail within the design itself and you won’t get that beautiful full effect you will get from a rug made from genuine silk.
Check the Label
Some of the more modern rugs entering the market are fooling consumers by including the word silk on the label. The companies doing this are within their rights even though it might seem deceptive. This is because more and more manufacturers are getting their hands on wild silk, a thicker, weaker and all round more horrible fiber. They then combine this with the problematic Rayon and claim they have used real silk for the product. They have but not the right silk. You need to make sure that any rug you purchase specifies that is has been created using cultivated silk. Cultivated silk is one continuous filament and the process of cultivation makes it seriously strong with a beautiful eye catching sheen. You might think that this extra bit of effort and extra bit of cash is a waste but in the long run you’ll be thankful you invested in the real thing.