TYPES ON THE BASIS OF SILK MOTHS OR BASE MATERIAL WILD SILK - TUSSAR

Instead of mulberry leaves, the wild silkworms or moths eat oak leaves and produce wild silk. It is heavier and has an uneven, rough texture to it. Commercially, this silk is also known as tussar silk. It is naturally available in dark brown or grey colour and dyed later for the desired shade. There are four types of tussar silkworm varieties in India namely Indian tussar silkworm (AntheraeamylitteDury), Japanese tussar silkworm (AntheraeayamamaiQuerin) and Chinese tussar silkworm (Antheraeapernyi Guerin). The types of silk produced by these silkworms are as different as chalk and cheese.

There are more than 500 species of wild silkworms in India however, only a few are commercially viable to produce silk. Unlike the mulberry silk, which is produced as one long thread, the wild silk is produced in batches, by cutting the threads at irregular intervals.

Wild silk is also difficult to dye and bleach. However, several modern processes such as demineralization have emerged that remove the mineral reinforcement in the cocoon and can produce similar sheen as the mulberry one.