Tell me What Clothing is More Precious than Gold? . . . Guaranteed !!!

The golden silk orb-weavers bring forth nature’s treasure on clothing.

We are talking about spiders here whose species ancestors the N. jurassica, lived about 165 million years ago and had a leg span of some 15 cm, and is the largest known fossilized spider.

The name of the golden silk orb-weavers refers to the colour of the spider silk, not the colour of the spider itself.

 

Description Nephila-clavipes-1.jpg: Nephila clavipes female     Date : 15 August 2007(2007-08-15)

Source : English Wikipedia                       Author : Victor Patel

These spiders do not seem to form either beneficial or harmful relationships with humans. As they weave their webs in bushes and near flowers, they might present a nuisance for gardeners or flower pickers. Some nests near fruits may repel known pests, such as the fruit fly, without the need to use insecticides.

 A possible use of Nephila silk lies in tissue engineering. A study from the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover reports that processed Nephila silk is an excellent scaffold material thanks to its biocompatibility, mechanical strengths, and its property to promote cell adhesion and proliferation. In particular, the silk acts as a suitable guiding material for peripheral nerve regrowth.

 

An adult, female Nephila clavipes spider (golden silk orb-weaver) sitting on her web,
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.
Date:16 September 2007 Author: Werewombat

The golden silk orb-weavers (genus Nephila) are a genus of araneomorph spiders noted for the impressive webs they weave. They are also commonly called golden orb-weavers, giant wood spiders, or banana spiders. In North America, the golden silk orb-weavers (see also Nephila clavipes) are sometimes referred to as writing spiders due to occasional zigzag patterns (stabilimenta) built into their webs, though these occur much more frequently in the webs of Argiope, such as the St Andrew's Cross spider.

 

Description Néphila inaurata Madagascar 01.jpg Nephila inaurata  

Français : Néphile dorée sur le bord du lac Tritriva, Madagascar  

English: Red-legged golden orb-web spider near lake  

 Tritriva, Madagascar

Date: 8 March 2007(2007-03-08) Author Bernard Gagnon

There were efforts to produce garments from Nephila silk. The spiders were fastened and the extruding thread coiled up until the spider was exhausted. However, this method did not prove commercially viable.

Fishermen on coasts of the indopacific ocean remove Nephila webs and form them into a ball, which is thrown into the water. There it unfolds and is used to catch bait fish

 

N. pilipes on Lamma Island, Hong Kong

Description Nephila maculata Lamma Island.jpg:Nephila maculata

Date 31 August 2008(2008-08-31) Author : Engelen

Golden silk orb-weavers are widespread in warmer regions throughout the world, with species in Australia, Asia, Africa (including Madagascar), and America. One species, N. clavipes, occurs in the United States of America, where it ranges throughout the coastal southeast and inland, from North Carolina to Texas.

Now why is this GOLDEN SPIDER CAPE more precious than gold?  

Well. . . . . the cape is one of two golden spider silk textiles that exist in the world, it was made in Madagascar over a period of 8 years and using the silk of silk of 1.2million spiders. 

(Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

 

 

Model Bianca Gavrilas wears a a hand-embroidered cape made from the silk of the Golden Orb Spider in the V&A Museum's Medieval and Renaissance Gallery last January 23, 2012 in London, England.

Other Sources: WIKIPEDIA

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