Persian silk carpet
Persian silk carpet is produced from the cocoon of the silk worm (see the picture below). To harvest the silk for a real Persian silk carpet, the cocoons of the silk worm are heated or boiled. Then they are unwound into single fibers which are then spun into threads or silk yarns. Natural, real Persian silk is a fibrous protein made up of a number of amino acids. When silk is dyed, silk fibers are saturated with rich colors, and have a distinctive translucent luster. Silk is extremely high in tensile strength and durability which makes it an ideal material for Persian silk carpet production.Persian silk carpet counterfeits
Unfortunately some distributors sell artificial silk Persian carpet for the same price as real Persian silk carpet. Artificial silk is easily made of mercerized cotton or from rayon fibers. An artificial Persian silk carpet does not come from the cocoon of a silk worm. In the case of an artificial Persian silk carpet cotton fibers are mercerized by being stretched under controlled tension while being treated with a caustic soda solution. This causes the fiber to swell and makes it more reflective and lustrous.
An artificial Persian silk carpet does not last as long as a quality Persian silk carpet. It looses its lustrous shine quickly and its durability is less than that of wool.
Some Persian silk carpet sellers neglect to inform their customers that the Persian silk carpet they are selling is comprised of artificial silk. This problem happens mostly with Persian silk carpets coming from those countries that weave both artificial and real silk Persian carpets (for example Turkey, India, Pakistan).
