page_title: Sea silk
hierarchical_section_title: Sea silk
caption_attribution_description: English: Knitted sea-silk glove from Taranto, Italy. Probably late 1800s
context_page_description: Sea silk is an extremely fine, rare, and valuable fabric that is made from the long silky filaments or byssus secreted by a gland in the foot of pen shells. The byssus is used by the clam to attach itself to the sea bed.
  Sea silk was produced in the Mediterranean region from the large marine bivalve mollusc Pinna nobilis until early in the 20th century. The shell, which is sometimes almost a metre long, adheres itself to rocks with a tuft of very strong thin fibres, pointed end down, in the intertidal zone. These byssi or filaments are spun and, when treated with lemon juice, turn a golden colour, which never fades.
  The cloth produced from these filaments can be woven even more finely than silk, and is extremely light and warm; it was said that a pair of women's gloves made from the fabric could fit into half a walnut shell and a pair of stockings in a snuffbox. The cloth attracts clothes moths, the larvae of which will eat it.
  In addition, Pinna nobilis is also sometimes gathered for its flesh and occasionally has pearls of fair quality.
context_section_description: Sea silk is an extremely fine, rare, and valuable fabric that is made from the long silky filaments or byssus secreted by a gland in the foot of pen shells (in particular Pinna nobilis). The byssus is used by the clam to attach itself to the sea bed.
  Sea silk was produced in the Mediterranean region from the large marine bivalve mollusc Pinna nobilis  until early in the 20th century. The shell, which is sometimes almost a metre long, adheres itself to rocks with a tuft of very strong thin fibres, pointed end down, in the intertidal zone. These byssi or filaments (which can be up to 6 cm long) are spun and, when treated with lemon juice, turn a  golden colour, which never fades. 
  The cloth produced from these filaments can be woven even more finely than silk, and is extremely light and warm; it was said that a pair of women's gloves made from the fabric could fit into half a walnut shell and a pair of stockings in a snuffbox. The cloth attracts clothes moths, the larvae of which will eat it.
  In addition, Pinna nobilis is also sometimes gathered for its flesh (as food) and occasionally has pearls of fair quality.
caption: Knitted glove made of sea silk, from Taranto, Italy, probably from the late 19th century
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