Grade
6A is the longest, most uniform filament. Lower grades use shorter fibres with more joins.
Buying guide
What to look for in silk
Four specifications tell you almost everything. One of them matters more than the rest.
Momme is the number
that matters
Momme measures the weight of a fixed length of cloth. It can't be faked with a finish, and it's the one figure that predicts how a piece wears.
- 19 momme, light, drapes well, wears out faster
- 22 momme, the working standard for bedding
- 25 momme and up, heavier, stiffer, much dearer
The other three
The other three
Weave
Charmeuse gives the smooth face and matte reverse. Anything shinier is usually a coating.
Finish
Untreated silk feels cool and slightly dry. A slippery, waxy hand means resin.
How to test a piece in your hands
Reliable
- Hold it to the light. Real silk glows warm, not white
- Feel for coolness that warms slowly in the hand
- Check the reverse is matte, not shiny on both sides
Misleading
- Don't trust the word satin. It's a weave, not a fibre
- Assume shine means quality; it usually means coating
- Buy without a stated momme figure
The cloth
What 22 momme buys you
Momme is a weight, the way thread count is a density. A 19 momme drapes lighter and costs less to weave. A 22 sits heavier, holds its shape after a wash, and is what we cut everything from, so there's no better and worse piece in the range.
Grade 6A is the filament length underneath that weight. Long, even fibre is why the surface stays smooth instead of pilling at the seam after a month of Tuesdays.