Silver Silk

Silver silk is a rare and valuable fabric that is harvested from the elusive fairy moth. The silk is sold as expensive clothing through many famous luxury brands, most famously Apparel. The silk is used by Dolarites living in the Shattered Skies, to create their beautifully intricate Silver Gowns that they wear on a daily basis.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Silver silk, when immediately extracted from the fairy moth, is a white colour. As it remains in contact with air it turns slightly darker, to a lighter grey colour. The silk is extremely thin, at 40 microns thick.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Silver silk is extremely strong. Silver silk can handle up to a kilogram before it snaps, some of the strongest natural materials on Greenerth.

Origin & Source

Silver silk is created by the elusive fairy moths. Fairy moths live in warm environments in savannas, and are very small and hard to find, which makes silver silk all the more valuable. As a larva, the fairy moths spin themselves a large cocoon, up to 13cm in diameter. The cocoon is split open to take the larva out, who will spin another cocoon at a later date. The cocoons are boiled to release the silk into strings, and are then taken out. The silk is then combined together to create small filaments, woven together to create a very strong fabric. The fabric is much stronger than the silk itself, able to hold multiple kilograms before it tears. It is almost impossible to tear with brute force using your hands.

Life & Expiration

Silver silk deteriorates almost two hundred years after it being produced, making it the most preservable fabric. The silk however needs access to air otherwise the ageing process speeds up much faster. When the silver silk deteriorates, the silk becomes very fragile, becoming easily tearable. In the worst cases simple touching can make it fall apart.

History & Usage

History

Silver silk was first discovered by the dolarites, who found the beauty of the fairy moths fascinating, bringing a few back from their adventures to their home in the Shattered Skies. The dolarites extracted the silk, and found it to be extremely strong. They took the cocoon and managed to dissect it, getting a single, extremely long silk string. They folded it together and made a small piece of fabric by weaving it together. After getting more of the silk, they discovered that hot water makes the cocoon fall apart. They used this to quicken the process of making the fabric. They were able to get a few cocoons from a single larva and turn it into a gown, which resides in the Dolarite Gallery Museum. The silver silk was harvesting a lot more, and then the trend of wearing silver gowns began.
Outside of the Shattered Skies, silver silk was first manufactured over a hundred years after the dolarites. An entomologist was exploring the savannas of Southland, when he discovered a bunch of dead cocoons underneath a Sandal Tree. He took them to his lab and analysed them, discovering their strong capabilities. They grew the larva to mass produce the silk, and the silk was sold to luxury clothes companies such as Apparel.

Discovery

The dolarites were the first people to discover silver silk, taking back fairy moths they found in the savannas of Southland. The fairy moths laid their eggs, producing their silkworm babies, and later on their cocoons.
A hundred years later, they were then discovered by an entomologist living in Southland. The cocoons were tested and its properties were used to manufacture an extremely strong type of fabric used for luxury clothing.

Everyday use

The dolarites use the silver silk in everyday clothing, in their silver gowns. The gowns are one of two pairs of clothes each dolarite owns, since they are almost indestructable and can last a hundred years without deteriorating.

Cultural Significance and Usage

The silver gowns are important in dolarite culture. Each dolarite is given a plain silver gown, and they customise it to their liking. They add patterns and jewelry that represent the things they love most, most commonly are jewels in the shapes of flowers wrapping round the collar.

Refinement

Silver silk comes naturally in the form of a cocoon. The cocoon is made from the larva of fairy moths. When the silkworm is ready to become a moth, it weaves together a cocoon, which is taken, split open to retrieve the larva for reuse, and the cocoon is placed in a boiling water bath. The boiling water breaks apart the silk into one long string, and up to 10 strings of the silk are combined to form one filament, which is woven together with other filaments to create the almost indestructable silver silk fabric.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

The leftover water from the boiling water baths that the cocoons are placed in is called silkwater. The silkwater has many nutrients that are absorbed from the cocoons, and is said to be very healthy. The silkwater is collected, stored in jars and sold to dolarites for drinking. Silkwater can be used to make many types of alcohol too.

Distribution

Trade & Market

The luxury silver silk fabric is used in many luxury clothes from many luxury brands across the world, most famously Apparel. The silver silk is valued because it is almost indestrcutable, easy to clean, and looks beautiful, complimenting every skin colour and tone. The silk can also be dyed but will still keep its shiny appearance.

Storage

Silver silk fabric is stored in open containers. A constant supply of air needs to reach the silver silk, otherwise it deteriorates much faster, and falls apart. With a supply of air, the silver silk can last up to a hundred years without deteriorating.

Taste

Slightly metallic, however not edible.

Color

Light grey, in larger quantities it becomes slightly darker.