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The Empire lampshade is crafted from Dupion silk, a fabric woven from two distinct threads — warp and weft — that produces a natural iridescence shifting between a rich orangey ochre and a softer yellow depending on the angle of light. The weave includes characteristic slubs, where silk yarn twists more thickly at intervals, adding organic texture to the surface. A delicate stitch seam finishes the edge, reflecting the hand-finished nature of the material. Measures 16cm in diameter.
This shade is made from the grandaddy of silk - Dupion. And to think it all started out with a friendly little worm spinning its stuff. Now, pay attention, there are a couple of things you need to understand about this silk - first is that it’s ordinarily woven from two distinct threads - the warp and the weft (for the weaving nerds amongst you) - and so the colour often has a lovely iridescence. Finished with a delicate stitch seam. We call this colour Saffron, but in truth from one angle it’s a rich orangey ochre hue and from another it’s a milder yellow colour. Beautiful really, but we tell you this because still photography cannot always catch the true lustre of Dupion silk. The next point about this silk is that there are some imperfections - known as slubs - where two threads of silk yarn are twisted together a little more thickly than usual. Slubs happen, and should be celebrated as a reminder that silk is a natural, organic and beautiful fibre...not grumbled about! We hope you love and live happily ever after with your glorious Dupion silk shade. And if you made it this far...
