Science is Fun Fridays!

 

The pinna nobilis mollusk of the Mediterranean secretes a filament, or byssus, to attach itself to the seabed.  Throughout history this has been used to weave a silk.

In early Middle Eastern texts it was referred to as sea wool, and in China it was called mermaid silk.

In the 1863 opera Judith, an aria mentions a "robe of byssus."

Circa 1920's

There is said to be only one woman who can still harvest, dye, and spin the cloth.

Chiara Vigo is from Sardinia, and her studio is called the Museum of Byssus.

She treats the strands with lemon juice and spices, which gives a hue that will never fade and shines in the sunlight.

She goes on multiple dives to obtain material, and she is accompanied my members of the Italian Coast Guard.  The clam is a protected species.

"The byssus is the soul of the sea.  It is sacred."

It is believed to bring fortune and fertility, so she does not sell her pieces, but she gifts to those in need.

BBC