Varanasi silk marries the Jacquard card technique of enabling subtle and varying designs with Chinese silk thread.

FORBES: Saving India's Silk Weavers

Traditionally an important role for women in the economy of rural regions, silk-making encompasses planting mulberry, raising silkworms, unreeling silk, making thread, and designing and weaving fabric.

UNESCO: Culture

Despite years of Japanese imitation and decades of increased silk cultivation throughout the world, there is no beating Chinese silk thread.

FORBES: Saving India's Silk Weavers