World's Most Expensive Silk: Golden Orb-Weaver Spider's Supermaterial Rivals Tussar

• Golden Silk Orb-Weaver Spider (Trichonephila clavipes) produces the world's rarest and most expensive natural silk, superior to Tussar.
• This naturally golden silk is 5 times stronger than steel, more durable than Kevlar, and highly elastic, earning it the 'supermaterial' title.
• Found in tropical regions, female spiders are large; their golden webs are due to natural pigments, not dyes.
• In 2009, Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley created the world's largest spider silk shawl from 1.2 million spiders, exhibited at V&A.
• High cost and difficulty in commercial production stem from low yield per spider, cannibalistic nature, and the need for millions of spiders.

Why It Matters: Golden Orb-Weaver spider silk is a 'supermaterial' due to its strength, rarity, and potential, despite production challenges.