The complete guide
The Buyer's Guide to Choosing a Queen Size Silk Pillowcase
The problem with the pillowcase you already own
Most people never think about their pillowcase. It came with the sheet set, it is cotton, and it does its job. Then one morning you notice the crease pressed into your cheek, or you look at the state of your hair and realise it spent eight hours being dragged back and forth across a woven surface.
Woven cotton has texture. Under a microscope it looks like a basket, with raised threads crossing over and under each other. That texture is what grips. It grabs loose hair, it catches on skin, and it holds onto moisture from the air and from whatever you put on your face before bed. None of this is dramatic. It is just friction, repeated every night for years.
Silk works differently, and that is the whole reason this category exists.
What makes silk different
Silk fibre is produced as a single continuous filament rather than a short staple that has to be spun together with thousands of others. When that filament is woven, the resulting fabric has a flatter, more even face. There are fewer protruding fibre ends to catch on anything. Your hair slides over it instead of being tugged. Your skin moves across it rather than sticking and releasing.
The term you will see on almost every listing is mulberry silk. That refers to the silkworms, which are fed exclusively on mulberry leaves. The diet produces a more uniform, paler, longer filament than silkworms raised on mixed leaves. Long-strand mulberry silk, the material used here, is the version where those long filaments are kept intact through the weaving process rather than being cut and respun. It costs more to make and it produces a smoother, more durable fabric.
This particular pillowcase is 100% mulberry silk. Nothing is blended in. That distinction is worth checking on any listing you look at, because some products described as silk pillowcases are actually polyester satin, which is a weave rather than a fibre. Satin can be made from silk, polyester, or a blend. Only one of those is silk.
Understanding momme weight
Momme is the measure that tells you how heavy the silk is. It comes from the Japanese weight system and describes how much a fixed area of fabric weighs. Higher momme means more silk packed into the same space.
For pillowcases, you will usually see numbers between 16 and 25. Below 16 the fabric feels thin and will not hold up to weekly washing for very long. Above 22 the silk starts to feel dense and heavy, which some people love and others find a bit much on a pillow.
Nineteen momme is the middle of that range, and it is where most of the market sits for a reason. It has enough weight to drape properly, which means the fabric follows the shape of the pillow rather than standing away from it in stiff folds. It also has enough body to survive repeated washing without going sheer at the corners. If you are comparing a 19 momme silk pillowcase against a 22 momme option, the honest answer is that both are good and the difference is preference rather than quality.
Getting the size right
This is the part people get wrong most often, and it is entirely avoidable.
Pillowcases are commonly cut to American sizing. Standard is 20 x 26 inches, queen is 20 x 30 inches, and king is 20 x 36 inches. This one is the queen cut, 20 x 30 inches, which works out at 51 x 76 cm.
The trouble is that pillow sizes are not standardised worldwide. A pillow sold as queen in one country can be noticeably different from a pillow sold under the same name elsewhere. Marketing names on pillow packaging are not reliable either.
So do this instead. Take the pillow off the bed, lay it flat on a table, and measure it from seam to seam in both directions. Compare that number to the three cuts above and pick the closest match. If your pillow sits between two sizes, going slightly larger is usually better than going smaller, because a case that is too tight compresses the pillow and strains the seams.
A small amount of looseness is normal and fine. A silk pillowcase is not meant to be stretched drum-tight over the pillow. Some slack is what allows the fabric to drape and slide, which is the point.
Why the closure matters
This case uses a concealed zipper, and it is worth saying why that is a good thing.
The two common closures are the envelope flap and the zip. An envelope flap is a folded panel of fabric at one end that tucks over the pillow. It is cheap to make and it looks tidy when the bed is first made. The problem is that silk is slippery, and a slippery flap over a slippery pillow does not always stay put. Over the course of a night the pillow can work its way out, and you wake with the corner exposed.
A zip holds the pillow in from the first night to the last. Concealed means the zipper tape is hidden under a fold of fabric, so you do not see a line of teeth along the edge and you do not feel hardware if your hand strays down there. Keep the zip closed when you wash the case, as an open zip can catch the fabric in the drum.
Living with silk, practically
Silk has a reputation for being fussy. It is less fussy than people think, but it does need a different routine from cotton.
Wash it in cool water with a mild detergent made for delicates. Hand washing is gentlest, but a gentle machine cycle inside a mesh laundry bag works perfectly well and is what most owners actually do. Skip the bleach, skip the fabric softener, and skip anything with optical brighteners. Those products are formulated for cotton and they dull silk over time.
Do not wring it out. Press the water out between your hands or roll it in a towel. Then line dry it in the shade. Direct sun will lighten a deep colour like emerald green faster than anything else you could do to it. Avoid the tumble dryer, since heat and tumbling break down the fibre.
If you want it looking crisp, iron on the lowest setting on the reverse side while the fabric is a little damp.
Having two cases in rotation makes all of this far easier. One is on the bed while the other dries, and each one gets washed half as often, which doubles how long they last.
Who this suits
A queen size silk pillowcase makes sense if your pillow measures 20 x 30 inches and you want a smoother surface than cotton gives you. It suits people with long hair, people who notice sleep creases, and people who simply like the feel of good fabric against their face.
The deep emerald green is a particular choice. It is not a neutral. On a bed made up in white, cream or charcoal it works as a single point of colour, and it sits well against natural linen or oak furniture. If your bedroom is already busy with pattern, a solid colour like this calms things down rather than adding to the noise.
As a gift it is an easy win. It is useful, it is something most people do not buy for themselves, and it does not require knowing anyone's size.
The short version
This is one pillowcase, 100% long-strand mulberry silk, 19 momme, queen cut at 20 x 30 inches (51 x 76 cm), solid emerald green, with a concealed zipper.
Measure your pillow before you order. Wash it cool, dry it in the shade, and keep it away from bleach. Do that and it will stay smooth for a long time. Brand, country of origin and packed weight are not specified, so if any of those matter to you, ask before you buy.