Tussah Silk
$2.50/ounce
This luxury fiber has a beautiful natural shine and it is very durable. Tussah silk is produced by tussah silkworms and is usually a beautiful natural golden color but can vary from pale cream to a dark rich brown. Tussah silkmoth caterpillars eat oak leaves or other leaves rich in tannin and it is the tannin that gives the color to this silk.
Tussah silk is not as fine as mulberry silk (the fibers vary from 26 to 36 micron in diameter whilst mulberry silk is 10 to 14 microns), but it is stronger and more durable. Tussah silk is usually a honey colour, while mulberry silk is white. At a microscopic level the cross-section of the mulberry silk filaments are circular, while the cross-section of tussah is an elongated oval, which results in flatter silk fibres.