What makes a great tie is a question that I am often asked.
A beautiful tie will be made from luxury fabric and be sewn slowly and carefully. A small custom made/bespoke tie maker will create ties that fit perfectly and the ties will be made even slower than normal...
The care put into making the tie is much more important than the type of construction. So a 3-fold tie can be of a higher quality than a 7-fold tie.
A lined 3-fold tie is the classic tie construction and works very well. Grenadines do better with a 4-fold construction as the fourth fold (which is small) helps to stabilize the tie and increases the tie's life. A lined 6-fold tie is used when you like more weight and a bit more drape in your ties. Note that in Italy some tie makers will confuse terms and call a 6-fold tie a 7-fold. I will politely assume that it is a language problem... An unlined 7-fold will be light, have less form and a smaller knot. Often men who like complicated watches will order unlined 7-folds as they appreciate the craft that goes into the construction. Occasionally in Italy you will see 12 fold ties made with very light silk which are only a marketing tactic there is no advantage to a 12 fold tie.
Tie and interlining fabric should be hand cut to provide a better drape, fit and finish. We use a round rotary blade as it is good for small details but some tie makers use scissors.
A tie's tipping (the triangular area on both sides of the underside of the tie) should be the same fabric as the main part of the tie. This is called self-tipping. When your tie has rolled edges tipping is not used - the triangular space on the bottom of the tie has an open look. Rolled edges should be tightly and evenly rolled by hand.
Interlinings should be a high quality of specialized tie wool as wool resists wrinkles. This type of high grade interlining wool is currently only woven in the north of Italy. Occasionally cotton is used as an extra layer to make a tie thicker but not not add extra weight. Polyester and polyester interlinings should be avoided as they do not drape well.
Hand sewn slip stitches go up the back of the tie and hold the tie together and allow it to stretch. Some Italian ties have saddle sticking which is clearly visible as large loose stitches and is an interesting look but is not good for drape and durability.
Luxury ties are gently finished so that the edges are not pressed flat, and have a nice roll. The very best ties are finished with a small iron similar to the way a bespoke suit is finished. This finishing process takes a great deal of skill and time to finish a tie.