What Are The Differences Between Tussar Silk & Mulberry Silk?

According to a tale from the 27th century BC, the discovery of silk is nothing but an accident. It stated that when empress Leizu was drinking tea one day a cocoon of a silkworm fell into her cup, as it was trying to get out of the cup, it began to unroll its thread. The incident helped the empress to think of weaving the thread. Later the Yellow Emperor encouraged the empress to study the life cycle of silkworms. She did learn the technique of raising silkworms which is known as sericulture. She made her entourage learn the art which led to the advent of the pure silk saree industry.

History of Silk in China 


Silk is considered one of the oldest fabrics. As mentioned earlier silk was first discovered in China where only Chinese people were using silk. The Chinese people not only used silk for clothing but also for writing. And during the Tang dynasty, the color of the mulberry silk saree wear denoted one’s social rank class.

The silk route


For a very long period of time, Chinese people kept silk as their secret from the rest of the world. But during the last half of the first millennium BC when the Silk Routes were opened across Asia, connecting the Mediterranean world along with North Africa and Europe, people came to know about the process of silk production. Initially, countries like India and Japan got to know about the science of sericulture which created the eastern monopoly of handloom silk saree production.

Silk in India


As a company based in India, we were thrilled when we got to know about the history of silk in India. Traders from Samarkand and Bukhara introduced Chinese silk cloth to India. Within a short span of time, it gained huge popularity among the royals and aristocrats. Jamawar along with brocade weaving centers were developed in holy Indian cities. Trade centers were also developed due to the excessive demand for silk from royals and temples. The ancient centers were mainly in Gujarat, Malwa, and South India. Brocade weaving centers were mainly in Delhi, Lahore, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Mau, Varanasi, Azamgarh, and Murshidabad. On the other hand, Jamawar weaving centers were in Assam, Malwa, Gujarat, and South India.


What is mulberry silk?




Mulberry silk comes from the Morus Alba tree. Sarees made from this are also known as pure silk sarees. This type of silk is known for its luxurious quality. It was made popular in China thousands of years ago. Mulberry silk is famous for its buttery feel and benefits for your hair. Mulberry silk is used across the world for everything from silk pillowcases to high-end fashion garments like sarees. It is known for its one-of-a-kind softness. The silk thread is smooth, strong, and uniformly colored. This is why soft silk sarees are the most sought-after textile in the world. 

What is Tussar silk?




Tussar silk is actually a type of wild silk. It is made from silkworms that eat leaves of the trees like Asan and Arjun. Tussar silk is popular for its natural golden color. In India, Jharkhand & Bihar are the two states that produces most tussar silk. The best thing about tussar silk is that it is lightweight. It has a luxurious touch, hence feels like a charm.

What are the differences between mulberry silk and tussar silk?


Mulberry Silk




Silkworm, known as ‘bombyx mori’ is the domesticated leaf-eating silkworm egg. The silkworm cocoon is white as the body skin and like lenitive jade. It is considered an advanced raw material for making silk edits.


Tussar Silk




Tussar is also known as ‘wild silkworm’. These silkworms mainly eat ‘oak leaves’. These silkworms mainly cultivated in the field and one of the most important varieties of wild silkworms. The body skin color of this silkworm is green, and grey. Silkworm cocoon is also grey, blue, or black. They are used to make silk products.



Differences

Mulberry Silk

Tussar Silk

Difference 1: Silkworm Cocoon Colors

In the case of mulberry silk, silkworm mainly eats mulberry leaves. The cocoons of silkworms are glittering and glassy white.


Tussar silkworm mainly eats oak leaves. These cocoons are mainly dark brown, dark bluish-grey.

Difference 2: Different silk floss colors

Mulberry silk shows natural milk white. If you look carefully, you’ll discover a little tinge of green or yellow, and the overall has bright luster.

The bleached tussar silk is also white in color. However, the white is like white paper and is very regular white.

Difference 3: Different fiber diameters

The diameter of mulberry silk fiber is 8 microns. Fiber diameter means the thickness of the fiber. Along with its warmth, flexibility, and ventilation, weight plays an evaluating role. With the same volume, the weight of the mulberry silk is smaller compared to tussar silk which is affected by different silk cotton fibers. 

The diameter of tussar silk fiber is 70 microns which is 9 times of mulberry silk.

Difference 4: Fiber lengths and toughness

The toughness and length of the fiber determine everything. Mulberry silk has long fibers. It is more like a very flexible rubber band that comes with superior elasticity and toughness. It can be extended to 10 times without any break. 

The fiber of the tussar silk saree is short. Hence, its elasticity and strengthness are bad. bad.

Difference 5: Different touch hands feeling

Its high-quality microfiber ensures its flexible nature and fiber distribution is in order. When you touch it with your hands, it is really silky and without hard lumps.

When you touch tussar silk, it feels dry, coarse, and the fibers have uneven distribution.


Conclusion


To sum up, we can say that tussar silk is an advanced textile material. Tussar silk is spelt differently around different regions across India. It is also popular as Kosa silk in ancient India. At times, it is also called wild silk and it has a rich texture and blazing gold sheen. Tussar silk sarees are in high demand amongst ladies.


Mulberry silk is the most popular variety of silk produced in India. Mulberry silk is popular for its exquisite and fine quality. It is also one of the sturdiest natural fibers in the world. It carries a lustrous sheen and its smooth richness of material makes it sell like hotcakes. This is the reason why it is always in demand. 


We hope that after going through it, you’ll be able to make a distinction between mulberry silk and tussar silk. If you follow the above-mentioned points then buying a mulberry silk saree or a tussar silk saree will become a cakewalk for you. Keep an eye on our blog section as we post interesting topics related to style and fashion every now and then. 


We, at Ramdhanu Ethnic, sell both mulberry silk and tussar silk sarees online. We make sure our fashion-loving customers get enough options to choose from. When you buy from us, you always get the best quality. You can keep your faith with us as we know how to make a woman’s wardrobe exciting. We’re blessed with a group of master artisans who make sure that you get the best quality products all the time. Hence, when you buy from us it’s always a win-win situation for both you and us. 


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