How to Identify Authentic Handloom Silk

Turn the fabric over. Genuine handloom weaving is done by hand on a pit or frame loom, so the reverse side shows small, natural irregularities — slightly uneven thread tension, tiny knots where the weaver joined a new thread. Power-loom silk is mechanically uniform on both sides, front and back nearly identical.

Pure mulberry silk has a distinct, slightly warm feel to the touch and a heavier, fluid drape — it falls in soft folds rather than standing stiff. Silk blends and art-silk (rayon or polyester dressed up as silk) tend to feel cooler, lighter, and hold a stiffer, more artificial fall.

Real zari — whether pure gold/silver thread or the more common zari-coated silk or copper thread used today — has a warm, slightly matte sheen and will dull gently over years, the way fine metal does. Synthetic "metallic" thread used to fake zari stays uniformly bright and shiny indefinitely, and often has a slightly plasticky glint under direct light.

The selvedge is the finished fabric edge along both long sides of the saree. On a handloom piece, the shuttle is thrown by hand, so the selvedge is often just slightly irregular. A perfectly even, almost printed-looking selvedge is a sign of power-loom production.

A seller who can genuinely tell you which weaving region or cluster a saree came from — and roughly how it was made — is usually sourcing real handloom work. "Handloom" and "pure silk" are used loosely online; a specific, confident answer is the simplest tell.

Every saree in our Handloom Sarees collection lists its weave, zari, and blouse details on the product page — no guessing required.