Buzz
In the well-known Greek legend, the hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts embark on a quest to retrieve a valuable fleece, supposedly woven from the wool of a golden ram, in exchange for the throne of Thessaly. Around the same period, tales of the biblical King Solomon tell of him donning a delicate tunic that glowed when he stepped into sunlight. The New Testament frequently describes angels dressed in 'pure and shining linen,' and the apostle Luke in 'shining garments.' But were these merely symbolic holy lights—or something tangible and reproducible?
As far as we know, no sheep has ever produced wool that shone like gold. Yet, numerous theories have been proposed to explain the existence of a shimmering golden fabric long before the creation of lamé. Most suggest it’s just a metaphor—representing wealth, kingship, authority, and so on.
However, these stories may also hold a more grounded explanation: They could be referring to byssus.
Byssus, also known as sea silk, is an ancient fabric crafted from the beard of various clams, which appears dark brown until exposed to direct light, where it shines like gold. While it can be produced from several different mollusks, the beard of the noble pen shell, Pinna nobilis, has historically been the most favored. Pen shells are quite large for clams, reaching lengths of up to 4 feet, and they produce delicate yet incredibly strong filaments—essentially hardened saliva—that anchor the mollusks to the seabed. The strands, about half the thickness of a human hair, make the silken beard of P. nobilis perfect for weaving, as it is much smoother than that of its relatives in the pinnidae family.
The origins of byssus are difficult to pin down, starting with the fact that the term byssus once referred to any valuable fabric. The Old Testament reportedly mentions it 45 times, although some instances almost certainly refer to linen, cotton, or ordinary silk, based on context. Similarly, the cloth used by the ancient Egyptians to wrap mummies has been translated as “byssus.” But which byssus are they referring to: sea silk or some other precious textile? The silken strands that make up the pen shell’s beard are also called byssus, adding to the confusion.
Byssus has inspired many myths: In 945, the Book of Tang (Tángshū), a historical record of China's Tang dynasty, described a golden fabric called byssus woven 'from the hair of the sea-sheep,' whatever that may have been. Similarly, Estakhri, a 9th-century Persian geographer, wrote of an animal that runs into the sea and rubs against certain stones, producing 'a type of wool with a silken texture and golden hue.'
Much later, Jules Verne referenced it in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. In the original French, he depicted the crew of the Nautilus dressed in byssus, emphasizing its aquatic origins. However, in English translations, 'byssus' was referred to as 'seashell tissue' or 'fan mussel fabric,' which led some readers to believe that the material was invented purely for science fiction.
Real, clam-made byssus was highly valued by ancient Greeks and Mesopotamians, among other cultures, not only for its shimmering, color-changing qualities but also for its delicate yet warm nature. Sea silk was commonly used for stockings and gloves; a pair of byssus gloves was said to be so light they could fit inside a walnut shell, while a pair of stockings could be folded into a snuff box.
Women spinning byssus, as shown in an exhibit in Sardinia. Image credit: Sicco2007, Flickr // CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Byssus faded into obscurity for many centuries, though it briefly enjoyed a revival among the wealthy in the 1800s. Today, apart from vintage pieces in museums and galleries, it has almost disappeared, and for good reason. P. nobilis is now endangered, facing threats not only from overfishing and trawling in the Mediterranean but also from pollution, which it is particularly vulnerable to. These challenges make harvesting byssus increasingly difficult—and the cloth itself might be even more expensive than it was in ancient times.
Nevertheless, Italian weaver Chiara Vigo, who claims to have devised a method of harvesting the silken fibers from the pen shell without harming the creature, has received special permission to dive for them in her hometown of Sant'Antioco, Sardinia, alongside members of the Italian Coast Guard. Vigo's family has been weaving byssus for generations. She learned the craft from her grandmother—though it may be better described as a 'calling' rather than a 'trade,' as she refuses to sell the cloth (which only increases its rarity). Vigo considers the fabric sacred, referring to it as “the soul of the sea,” and insists she has never profited financially from her skill, not even a cent (or lira).
As noted by the BBC, Vigo believes that gifting byssus brings good fortune to families, which is why she offers her services only to those who visit her studio in person. She gives byssus-embroidered christening gowns to infants, byssus bracelets to expectant mothers (or those hoping to conceive), and byssus rings to young girls (with the condition that they return to her when they're grown and engaged, at which point she’ll craft them a byssus doily for their marriage bed).
It’s rumored that a few elderly women on the Italian mainland still possess the skill to weave byssus, but Vigo is the only known living master. She is the only person capable of making it shine using a special solution and dyeing it in the traditional manner. Additionally, she is said to be the only one legally authorized to harvest it. Vigo also guards a secret: She is one of the few living individuals who knows the exact location of the field of pen shells in the waters surrounding Sant'Antioco.
No matter the mysteries surrounding byssus’s intricate history, the good news is that sea silk is still being woven in an ancient village on a small island off the coast of a larger Mediterranean island—and Chiara Vigo is dedicated to passing on her knowledge. Alongside teaching students how to weave byssus in the evenings, she has also passed the craft down to her daughter, promising that she will one day carry on the family tradition. In a time where glitter is everywhere, but traditional materials are rare, there is hope that this fabric will continue to thrive, living on as more than just a myth.
