# Gorgeous half million dollar tapestry woven from Golden Orb spider silk - Must see! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 24, 2009, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736 "2009-11-24T03:36:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/21 "2009-11-24T20:48:23Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Pretty breathtaking. Here’s a [detail of the mid-part](http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/spidersilk/images/silk550.jpg) rather than just the fringe. > > Proving that there’s one in every crowd, [here’s a blog](http://www.yourdailyvegan.com/2009/10/12/four-years-and-1-million-little-slaves/) decrying the “slavery” of the spiders who were forced to make this product. :rolleyes: Wow - they’d picket me, if they found out I kill every spider I see with extreme prejudice. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/22 "2009-11-24T20:49:40Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Proving that there’s one in every crowd, [here’s a blog](http://www.yourdailyvegan.com/2009/10/12/four-years-and-1-million-little-slaves/) decrying the “slavery” of the spiders who were forced to make this product. :rolleyes: Slavery? Nah, just a day job to them. Heck, not even a day job–it took 20 minutes to get get “silked” and they got set free. Sounds like it was more work for the spider wranglers than the spiders themselves. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/23 "2009-11-24T20:50:18Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Lucky Spiders…I wish someone scooped me up every morning and “milked” me… If silk is what comes out of you, I bet you’ll be able to find someone to do it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/24 "2009-11-24T20:51:57Z")
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! You didn’t say there were pictures of the spiders in the link!!! Smash, smash, smash!!! ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/25 "2009-11-25T01:42:08Z")
Those are just the females. The males are 5x larger. Just kidding. It’s the females who are larger. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/26 "2009-11-25T03:53:31Z")
have you ever seen baby spiders? they’re a million times smaller. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/27 "2009-11-25T08:08:33Z")
“nonplussing” is the word I used to describe it when sending a friend the link. I know, it’s not a word. I _wanted_ a word that’s not a word. This is my new second-favorite fabric, next to [byssus.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byssus) ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/28 "2009-11-25T12:23:00Z")
Amazing. Like someone else said, I’d love to feel the tapestry. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/29 "2009-11-25T13:55:30Z")
_Revenge of The Spider Slaves_ might be a good movie idea… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/30 "2009-11-25T14:29:57Z")
I don’t know much about weaving. Was this likely done on a loom once the thread was assembled or by some hand weaving method? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/31 "2009-11-25T14:48:46Z")
Oh! How BEAUTIFUL! (I have a plain old velour-fleece gold color blankie that a friend painstakingly handstitched a beautiful sheer gold curtain panel to, so it’s reversible. Now I can pretend my wrap is made from spider silk…) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/32 "2009-11-25T15:18:30Z")
Spider silker. Another job I could never do. I have the shivering heebie jeebies just thinking about it. But an amazing feat, this tapestry. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/33 "2009-11-25T15:23:19Z")
I’d ben okay with the spiders, as long I knew how to protect myself, but I have a morbid fear of spiderwebs. (I know, weird, but I’ve always been that way). Pulling it out of the spider or weaving it into a rug would be okay, but the first time I walked into an actual web I’d have a nervous breakdown. ---
**Author:** ![shorin-ryu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shorin-ryu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shorin-ryu)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/34 "2009-11-25T19:29:31Z")
There’s an “official” youtube video about this that’s worth watching: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z07dB3sKTs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z07dB3sKTs) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/35 "2009-11-25T20:47:49Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Better not let Bender near it. My exact thought just from the headline. And also my favorite episode of all time. Seriously, though, I’d like to join the crowd of folks who just want to touch that. It is absolutely amazing-looking. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/36 "2009-11-25T21:28:49Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > have you ever seen baby spiders? they’re a million times smaller. Small enough to effortlessly crawl into orifices while you sleep? 'Cause that’s pretty small. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/37 "2009-11-25T23:40:18Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I would love a close look at this, and to feel it… > [@billfish678](#): > > I bet it is pretty and has a neat feel to it. > [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Amazing. Like someone else said, I’d love to feel the tapestry. > [@Asimovian](#): > > Seriously, though, I’d like to join the crowd of folks who just want to touch that. It is absolutely amazing-looking. That’s when you find yourself trapped in the sticky spider-silk. Then the spiders coming swarming out… ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/38 "2009-11-26T02:19:22Z")
No one who loves laws, sausages or spider-silk tapestries should ever watch them being made. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/39 "2009-11-26T03:38:13Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Small enough to effortlessly crawl into orifices while you sleep? 'Cause that’s pretty small. [yup!](http://bugguide.net/node/view/240942/bgimage) which i imagined might look like [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pokklIKkFuk&feature=related) or [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gMOLBlSsqo). 😃 * * * no warning for the squeamish ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736/40 "2009-11-26T05:03:35Z")
I wondered what made the silk gold-colored. > [@](#): > > Yellow threads of their web shine like gold in sunlight. Xanthurenic acid, two quinones and an unknown fourth compound contribute to the yellow color. Experimental evidence suggests that the silk’s color may serve a dual purpose: sunlit webs ensnare bees that are attracted to the bright yellow strands, whereas in shady spots the yellow blends in with background foliage to act as a camouflage. The spider is able to adjust pigment intensity relative to background light levels and color; the range of spectral reflectance is specifically adapted to insect vision. From [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_silk_orb-weaver). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorgeous-half-million-dollar-tapestry-woven-from-golden-orb-spider-silk-must-see/518736.md?page=3)