Songket
| Making songket in Indonesia |
Songket is a class of richly decorative woven fabrics of the brocade family often using gold and silver threads woven onto colorful cotton or silk threads. It is a supplementary weft technique in which the ornamental brocading is produced by adding supplementary weft threads to the basic weft of the textile. Songket fabrics are made in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei and are traditionally worn during ceremonial occasions as sarongs, shoulder cloths or head-ties. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the best quality gold threads were imported into the region from China and sold under the brand name of "Chop Jantung" (Heart Brand). Such threads were made using real gold and songkets woven with Jantung threads are today highly prized and quite rare.
The technique of songket weaving is probably of Indian origin and was introduced to southeast Asia by Arab or Indian merchants.
The technique of songket weaving is probably of Indian origin and was introduced to southeast Asia by Arab or Indian merchants.
