Why Is Real Silk Bedding Expensive?

The Experts at Mulberry Park Silks Explain Why High Quality Silk Costs More

If you’ve shopped for silk bedding you may have noticed a wide variable in price. So why are a silk bed sheet or silk duvet cover from two manufacturers priced so differently? What makes some silk bed linen so expensive? While the definition of "expensive silk" may vary, it's important to understand that when it comes to luxury sheets made from real silk, you will pay more for higher quality. Silk is a natural fiber, and silk production is a time-intensive process. But there’s a lot more to it.

At Mulberry Park Silks, we sell only the highest quality pure silk products, and we welcome the chance to clarify what makes our products the best. There are five characteristics you should consider when purchasing a silk pillowcase or a set of silk sheets: the weave, the grade, the type, and the weight of silk, as well as whether the silk is certified to be free of harmful chemicals.

We use the helpful acronym "CHARMS" to explain why our silk is the finest in the marketplace:

Each of these attributes affects the price of silk. When you understand "CHARMS," you can better evaluate the cost of various silk products and understand their value.

Charmeuse Weave

Charmeuse is a style of weaving silk threads into a specific pattern to create a smooth luster on one side of the fabric and a matte finish on the reverse. This results in a significant difference between the front and "reverse" of the fabric (see picture below). While there are many popular styles of weave for silk (think: organza, shantung, chiffon), charmeuse silk is the most popular for pillowcases, sheets, luxury bedding and accessories due to its incredible softness and comfort. All Mulberry Park Silks products are made with a charmeuse weave.

Grade A Silk

The grade of silk also affects its price. Silk quality is graded A, B, or C, with Grade A being the best. Grade A silk is the highest quality long-strand silk from cocoons that are pearly white in color. It is pure and strong, and can be unraveled to great lengths without breaking. Silk grades are further differentiated by number with 6A being the highest and finest. At Mulberry Park Silks we only use Grade 6A 100 percent pure mulberry silk for our silk luxury bed sheets, silk pillowcases, silk bedding, and silk accessories.

Real Mulberry Silk

Mulberry silk is a unique type of silk made from cocoons of a specific species of silk worms -- Bombyx mori -- whose diet consists of leaves from the Mulberry tree. The environment of these silkworms is carefully controlled and monitored to allow the larvae to spin threads that are considered the best on Earth. These luxurious threads are finer, smoother and consistently colored than any other variety of silk. More than just beautiful, mulberry silk fiber is even stronger than steel fiber of the same diameter. All of our products are made from 100% pure mulberry silk.

Momme (silk weight)

Momme [mom-ee] is a Japanese word used as a unit of weight measurement for real silk (similar to thread count for cotton sheets and other cotton bedding). You will see momme weights ranging from 19 to 30 momme on the Mulberry Park Silks website. The higher the number, the more silk is used in the making of the product (see table below). You will often notice a big jump in price when the momme weight increases; this is standard in the silk industry. Silk bedding with higher momme will be heavier, softer, and more durable than lower momme silk of the same quality.

Safe for People and the Environment

Being third-party certified safe for people in the environment also makes silk more valuable. The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 is a global testing and accreditation program that sets standards for the screening of chemicals and harmful substances in fabrics and other consumer textiles. Products are tested in an independent lab for a variety of harmful substances including formaldehyde, heavy metals, pesticides, phthalates, chlorinated phenols, colorants, solvents, and other chemicals; these are often used in producing fabric, including silk, organic cotton, and even natural fibers.

All Mulberry Park Silks products are Oeko-Tex® Certified. From raw materials to our end product, everything we make is safe and free from harmful chemicals, including toxins and irritants.

Balancing CHARMS to get the best value when purchasing silk

Now that you understand how these five variables contribute to the cost of silk, you can better balance them when evaluating a silk purchase. While personal preference is important, at Mulberry Park Silks, we recommend strictly following three simple guidelines:

1. Always buy REAL mulberry silk of the highest quality (6A). Inferior quality will disappoint you.
2. Always insist that the silk you buy be certified safe by Oeko-Tex® or another reputable independent third party
3. Never compromise on quality of silk to get more weight (higher momme). Indeed, a silk sheet or silk pillowcase of higher quality silk at a lighter momme weight may be "better" than a heavier momme weight item made of lower quality fabric.

A final word of caution as you shop: Never confuse satin for silk. Satin is a man-made fiber made from nylon or polyester. Only real silk linen can provide all the wonderful health and beauty benefits silk has become known for. You can read more about shopping smart for silk here. Our customer service team is also available to give you more information and offer specific recommendations as you evaluate cost and quality of silk.