Failure of historic textiles is directly related to chemical, physical and mechanical degradation. Chemical processes that take place within the molecular structure of silk (hydrolysis, chain scission, cross-linking…) can be correlated to the loss of strength as well as the increased brittleness of textiles. This paper is the result of the early tests run on new silk samples. The objective is to characterize the effects of different dyestuffs on the structural stability of silk fabrics under specific environmental conditions. Comparisons to the behavior of weighted silks are also made.