Know the Songket’s Originality
The authenticity of songket fabric can be seen through several factors, namely techniques, places, and artificial materials. Original songket fabrics can come from a variety of places provided they are traditionally made but Terengganu’s original songket can only be produced traditionally in the state of Terengganu only. The authenticity of songket fabric can be identified by observation of the songket cloth itself. The experience of an individual can help identify the authenticity of the songket. Here are tips for recognizing songket originality:
Cloth edge
Noted that along the edge of the fabric, if it is a hand-made native songket cloth then there will be small perforated effects. This perforated effect is caused by a needle-pin pressed on the lower side of the fabric that is being woven so that the fabric is constantly tense during the weaving process. This effect is also uneven as it relies on the frequency of the weaver to pin the needle pin on the woven cloth.
Flower Color Pattern
Normally the color of the gold or silver thread is used. The glittering gold or silver thread that displayed the songket looks fresh. The motif pattern on the fabric looks like life and stands out. The color is not easy to fade even though the songket is old. If the songket is not original, then the color is faded fast and it’s easy to look old or out of shape.
Type of Material
The materials in songket production are very important because they are the main ingredient. Inexpensive materials certainly do not provide the quality as expected. For example, expensive gold or silver yarns have more objections than cheap yarns. Cheap gold or silver yarns are usually lighter. However, there is no doubt that there are also songket woven with lighter materials especially silk and cotton. This is because there is a demand for a lightweight fabric for the wearer’s comfort.