What is Eiderdown
Eiderdown comes for the Eider Duck a large migratory sea duck. This wild sea duck is found in the North Atlantic, mainly around Iceland. The climatic conditions in which this unusual and rare duck survives has lead to unique characteristic of its down. The eiderdown is superior to other down in many different ways. It is very insulating, thus leading to a very high fill power. Weight for weight and thickness for thickness, Eider down has the best insulating properties of any natural substance. Therefore the down is very warm, soft and lightweight.
The Eider Duck is protected by law and Eider Ducks reside in special sactuaries.where they are protected from poaches. The female eider duck plucks down from her breast which she uses to line her nest and cover the eggs which she has laid. After the ducklings have gown and left the nest, the eiderdown is gather from these abandoned nests by specialized farmers. These specialized farmers protect these ducks, not disturbing them and they have been collecting this down for generations. There is a very limited supply of about 2000 kilograms of eiderdown collected in the world. Thus, this down is very rare and as it is hand collected it is also very expensive. Approximately a maximum of 15 grams or 1/2 ounce of down is recovered from each of the abandoned nests.
Eiderdown is then hand sorted and used for Eiderdown Comforters. The uniqueness of the eiderdown, makes owning a comforter a real treasure. Eiderdown has a characteristic called "hooks." These hooks allow the clusters to hold onto each other thus trapping tiny air pockets. These air pockets form barriers. Heat transfers slowly between the barriers, therefore the good insulating quality of the eiderdown. When the air in an Eiderdown comforter is warmed by the sleeper, it holds the heat in much better than any other down. The hooks also allow the characteristic of cling. As the down clusters cling together, they are linked and gaps can not occur in the down, thereby providing an incredibly fine layer of insulation and warmth to the down comforter. This cling characteristic does not allow the down to shift or slide in the baffles which provides the sleeper with continuous even warmth. The down is very lightweight yet has amazing insulating properties and a very high fill power or loft.
Eiderdown comforters are the finest, warmest, and most rare comforters in the world. Owning an eiderdown comforter is a luxurious treasure and should be considered an heirloom.
