GOLDEN FLEECE.

The article focuses on sea silk, a rare and historically significant golden fiber secreted by the noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis), a large Mediterranean mollusc. Known since ancient times and linked to legendary and royal artifacts, sea silk is harvested through a secretive, sustainable process practiced by Chiara Vigo, the last sea silk master from Sardinia, who preserves the tradition without commercializing it. Despite past attempts to commercialize sea silk, overfishing and pollution nearly caused the extinction of Pinna nobilis, leading to legal protection in 1992. Today, sea silk continues to attract interest due to Vigo’s cultural preservation efforts.