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April 8, 2005

Strange But True!

Q. When does wool become so valuable that it must be shepherded to auction by armed guards, with a single bale fetching more than half a million dollars?

A. When it's "Primerino" wool from merino sheep at the famous Goodrich family ranch in Warroo Station, Australia, says "Photonics Spectra" magazine. Said to be the finest, softest wool in the world, against which even cashmere might seem coarse, Primerino fibers measure a bare 11.9 micrometers in diameter -- about 1/5th that of a human hair, half that of average wool and 2/3 that of cashmere!


 
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