One silk flower is not like ever other silk flower, they are all as unique as the quality of wine. I can remember 50 years ago creating zinnias and roses from crepe paper and thinking, I had created the utmost flower ever but in fact, the only things remarkable about my early "flowers" were their individuality. This was the beginning of my love of flowers and it did not matter to me, at that time, their poor quality. In the 1960's crepe paper flowers gave way to colored thin foam sheets which only increased there durability by not fading as quickly as crepe paper.

It is stated that the Chinese mastered the skills of working with silk more then 5000 years ago and in turn created the elaborate silk floral replicas. As early as the twelfth century, Marco Polo brought the art crafts to the Italians who began making artificial flowers and in the 14th century, the French continued to improve the quality of both fabrics and fabric flowers that they became know as the best.

Manufacturers have tired to recreate the beauty of perishable flowers and the mass production of the "plastic flower", kept the interest in artificial flowers at an unusually low point in history. The term "permanent botanicals" became the term most florist used for silk and other artificial flowers for many years.

Most flowers are now from the cotton/polyester blend fabrics that hold color dyes, retain their textures and display well, exceeding any manufactured product from the past. Today's flowers are magnificently real that to look at them from a distance one could never tell the authentic from a silk that you almost have to touch them to distinguish from nature's own. I challenge you to walk into a hotel lobby or a fine restaurant and see if you can tell the difference from a silk floral arrangement or the real plant. Some high quality flowers are hand painted to give that illusion of real blooms and stems.

Silk flowers are so well crafted one would never guess the authenticity. These beauties captivate me and I have to step close to touch them to see if they are in fact real. I have seen silk floral arrangements designed with a mix of silk flowers and leaves with real plants and I cannot tell the difference, I commend the florist designer their creativity.