For twelve years silkworms and I worked in close camaraderie. My attitude towards life has been directly influenced by the close proximity to one of nature's miracles.  All that I perceived and read about the silkworm and the sericulture somehow broadened my outlook, enhanced my insight and tempered my tolerance. It became my philosophy of life.

The traditional harvesting of silk necessitates the killing of the pupa before it becomes a moth which damages the cocoon and makes unwinding and reeling impossible. This I could not justify to myself.  The sericin that gives the silk its beautiful colour, is also boiled away during the processing of the silk thread. I wanted to preserve the wonderful colours. I needed to find a different way of utilizing the colourful, lustrous and wondrous gift.

Every year I create a series of Silk Icons using the pre-designed shapes spun by the flat spinners and the cocoons spun by the tree spinners and hotel spinners

My breeding program is conducted by selection and aims to determine with certainty the colour of the cocoons that are spun and to alter the spinning habits of certain worms. Eggs are annually sorted and preserved according to specific colorings eggs of the caterpillars that show skill in spinning on pre-designed flat shapes are preserved in the same manner

The Armenian word for silkworm Sirma - says it all: unwavering bravery, generosity and beauty. Bombyx mori is so much more than a mere caterpillar or worm and together we are involved in wondrous things.