Once again, many thanks to everyone. More infro about moire'
Chine' means 'mottled' or 'to have blotches of different shades or colors' (variegated) in French.
Moire’ comes from the French mouaire (mohair) and is defined as "having a watered or wavelike pattern."
Moire (pronounced "mwar") and
moiré (pronounced "mwar-ay") are now used somewhat interchangeably in English, though moire is more often used for the cloth and moiré for the pattern.
Watered silk is a textile which has a moire pattern, a rippling illusory pattern created by lines which are superimposed on each other. Watered silk resembles a body of water with small waves trembling in a breeze.
Moiré Antique effect is obtained by first damping the material and folding it with the face side inward, and with the two
selvedges running together side by side. The cloth is then passed between heated cylinders and under pressure.
Moire Anglaise is an imitation produced mechanically by means of engraved copper rollers.
Effet de moire' refers to the pattern seen when two plates of plate glass have a thin film of water between them; not unlike oil film on water. In textiles, it is used to describe the wavy lines in silk patterns.
Moire effect seen on a parrot's wing
