A ceremony round the corner, some guests to attend, Some authentic royal function or a sudden call of the hour, the absolute showstopper is non-other than a silk yarn being weaved into six yards of joy. Banarasi silk saree is not only a sense of fashion but also a state of luxury and a modern necessity in the limelight of society. Banarasi silk being the symbol of clothing from medieval history, the authenticity has never been the question while dealing with it, but with the growing phase of adulteration, a proper guideline and a customary check are what it feels like the topmost priority while buying.
The obsession with silk sarees isn't just cultural. It's emotional too! That is why perhaps, it is of utmost importance to us that the silk saree we get in return is worth the fortune we shell out of our pockets. But we from the House of Sacred Weaves not only bring to you the primal collections and heart wenching motifs but also the clear picture of what to and what not to see while shedding your hard-earned cash, the following understated points will clarify your doubts and let you be a master of your prized possession without a thought to spare.
- The originality of silk is from its origin, and when we talk about origin it goes to silkworms and mulberry leaves and thus living forms giving life to your wardrobe. The original silk gives a warm feel when rubbed with your hand while the fake one is something which seems lifeless and offers no changes and feels like a touch of steel, cold and bleak. Thus when it is cold, don’t hold.
- If your choice for a Banarasi saree is not a very heavily zari weaved then a practice that lets you know the reality of the silk is by pulling the ply through a finger-ring. The real silk seems to pass the ring pretty easy while the one where the silk is artificial will rumple and can’t be pulled
- People wearing pure silk sarees often encounter different shades on the contour of a silk saree from different angles of different shades of light, the pure silk being famous for its lustrous nature and shades whereas when a saree weaved with artificial silk will reflect a perennial shade be it white(mostly) or maybe the shade of the saree.
- The machine works perfectly whereas handicrafts are unique and leave some tender differences on its mastery, same as the weaving where the power loom sarees are flawless and looks exactly with the entire lot, the handloom is beautifully different from each other and has small complications, the material silk has same difference where the pure silk has distinctions and differences but the artificial ones look perfect and lack flaw in texture.
- Among all, the burn test is the most definitive way to know about the purity of the silk and hence is considered the best, with precautions. The entire idea behind this is about putting fire to a thread of fiber and observe, silk, when it is pure and is burnt, will give a burning hair feel while inhaling, an invisible flame and stops immediately as the flame stops, the residual of the burn will be, dark-charcoal-ish, brittle & crisp and eventually turns to powder, whereas the artificial one burns with the smell of burning plastic and leaving no residues or ash. This procedure needs utter precaution and primitive measures for safe closure.
- Last but not the least, if the absurdity has taken on your nerves and you need to put all your efforts down to ground zero to identify in all means so as to clear out your doubts for a 100%, then the last forte is going on for a chemical test which includes, a solution of 16 grams of copper sulfate (cuS04), 8 grams of glycerine(C3H803), 1 tablespoon of caustic soda(NaOH) & 150cc of water and dips down your fiber. The pure silk will dissolve immediately whereas artificial silk would stay intact with certain ruptures.
Thus the guide to optimality and wisdom towards the know how’s of pure silk lies within these checks and is being used widely by the buyers and the dyers globally differentiating between the originality and the counterfeit.
