Till recently, if a consumer wanted to make sure that what is being sold as pure silk is really so, the only option was to take a few strands of the fabric and burn it ? if it left a dark, beady residue, it meant that it was pure silk. In other words, while purchasing expensive silk saris, particularly wedding saris, one had to carry a matchbox or a lighter and allay the fears of the shopkeeper that you are not about to set the shop on fire and perform the test; or pull a few strands of silk from the sari very discreetly, go out of the shop on some pretext and light the strands. Certainly not a practical solution!

Fortunately, today a consumer need not go to such lengths to determine the authenticity of the fabric. All she or he has to do is to look for the silk mark logo, an artistic depiction of a butterfly with the words “silk mark” written below, and be assured that what is being paid for is really pure, natural silk.

The Central Board, which is the apex body that advises the central government on all matters pertaining to the silk industry, established last year the Silk Mark Organisation of India (SMOI) to promote a quality seal for pure silk and thus was born the silk mark. Today, you can actually see it on saris and dresses in shops around the country. And the list of authorised users of the silk mark is lengthening.

Silk mark covers a variety of primary, intermediate and finished products such as raw silk, silk yarns, fabrics, saris, ready-mades, and silk carpets. It also covers all the four varieties of silk; the most common variety of silk ? mulberry ? as well as non-mulberry silks: Tassar, Eri and Muga.

The characteristics of natural silk are its natural sheen, light weight, resilience and excellent drape. Silk is also a poor heat conductor and is therefore warmer than cotton or linen and is therefore a good wear for winter.

So the next time you buy pure silk, make sure that it carries the silk mark. Another advantage of the silk mark label is that in case of any complaint against the product, you can write to SMOI, which acts as a facilitator for grievance redressal, gets the product tested and in case the product is not up to the mark, ensures that the authorised user pays the consumer for damages.