How to spot real silk in three seconds

Walk into almost any homeware shop and you will find pillowcases described as silk. Most of them are not. Here is how to tell the difference — in under three seconds, with no equipment.

01 · The touch test

Real silk warms to your hand within a second of contact. Polyester satin — the most common impostor — stays cool. Run your hand along the fabric: real silk has a slight resistance, a softness with weight to it. Satin slides too easily, like wet glass.

02 · The shimmer test

Tilt the fabric in the light. Mulberry silk shifts between two subtly different tones — pearl and shadow, ivory and champagne — because the triangular structure of silk fibres refracts light from multiple angles. Polyester shines uniformly, like a flashlight on a mirror. Once you have seen the difference, you cannot un-see it.

03 · The label

Real silk brands disclose their momme weight, their grade, and their certification. If a product page says only "100% silk" with no specifications, treat that the way you would treat a perfume with no notes. A real silk product page should be able to tell you:

• · Momme weight — the standard luxury sweet spot is 19–22 momme
• · Grade — 6A is the highest grade of mulberry silk
• · Weave — charmeuse is the smoothest, used by the best houses
• · Certification — OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is the global benchmark

A brand that hides its silk specifications is hiding something else, too.

Every Nalz piece is 22 momme, 6A grade, charmeuse-weave mulberry silk, OEKO-TEX® certified. We print the numbers on the care card because we want you to read them — and because the brands worth competing with have always done the same.