News Materials Science

Scientists re-create a legendary golden fabric from clam waste

The revival of sea silk offers a sustainable twist on an ancient textile

A hand holds a woven patch of sea silk

Sea silk, which once clothed emperors and popes alike, is spun from the beardlike tufts of giant clams.

Giulio Gigante

By Celina Zhao

Shimmering like spun gold, sea silk fabric is so lustrous that some believe it inspired the Greek legends of Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece. For centuries, artisans in the Mediterranean have passed down the art of spinning the silk, which comes from the beardlike tufts of the giant clam Pinna nobilis.