Elegance is the only beauty that never fades... - Audrey Hepburn
THE SAGA
Kashmiri Pashmina is one of the finest, most exquisite fabrics ever made. It has also taken centuries of experimentation and refinement to raise this traditional practice of shawl making from being a necessity to unique textile art.
Pashmina Artisan doing Embroidery work on a Pashmina Shawl
Overall, Kashmir is the only place in the world where finely embroidered Pashmina shawls are being produced.
Despite upheavals, the art of making the Pashmina shawls in Kashmir is unique and is still practiced in the traditional way by local artisans.
Is Pashmina Expensive?
According to a few lovers of this traditional art, Pashmina is a bit expensive. To know if this claim is at all correct, we take you through the journey of a Pashmina.
Does its procurement make Pashmina expensive?
The pashm wool comes from the Capra Hircus goat indigenous to high altitudes of the Himalayan mountains.
Kashmiri Goat: Changthangi or capra hircus goats
Every spring, they shed their winter coat. Herders collect it later for the weaving process.
One goat produces only about a few grams of Pashmina each year. In addition to this, a single Pashmina shawl requires wool from about three goats. Hence the exorbitant price becomes obvious.
Does its purity make Pashmina expensive?
The test for a quality Pashmina has been warmth, feel, and the passing of the shawl through a wedding ring.
The ring test
The fineness of the pashm wool is between 14-16 microns in contrast to the finest sheep's wool which is 23 microns. To make your hair raise more, human hair is up to 50-70 microns.
Real Pashminas are very soft and warm to touch, owing to the thickness of the hair. The finer the thread, the greater warmth it produces. Perhaps this is one more reason to feel that Pashmina is expensive.
An authentic Pashmina is always handmade and hand-embroidered with a very minute thread. Only a talented artisan can create skillful shawls with intricate work that gives Pashmina its grace and glory. Depending on the work, a single Pashmina piece may take anywhere between a week to a decade to complete. With signature Pashmina styles exclusive to us and the countless designs created by our hard-working weavers, our Pashmina collection is worth a look. It offers something unique and felicitous for every occasion.
How expensive is Pashmina?
Apart from being unaware of why is Pashmina expensive, women often do not have an idea about how expensive Pashmina is? Well the price depends on a number of factors. Here are some:
Ply: Ply indicates the density of fibre used. Single ply Pashmina scarf would mean that basic thread is used in its single form. Double ply or two ply would indicate that fibre is double twisted. Two ply are more pricey
Count: Yarn count is a number indicating the meters of yarn that can be spun per gram. The more yarn count the thinner, the smoother and more precious is the scarf.
Thickness of the fibre: How thick the fibre is also determines the price of Pashmina scarves. The finer the fibre used, the more pricey the scarf becomes.
Weave patterns also determine the price of Pashmina scarves. The diamond weave is the most expensive type of scarves in Pashmina. Twill weave and basket weave follow. Jacquard weave is also one major type that is usually worn at weddings or special occasions.
How expensive is Pashmina scarf?
A Pashmina scarf, on average will be worth US$120 - 300 (dimension is 200 cm x 35cm). It also depends on purity. This was the price of a 100% pure scarf and not an amalgam of silk or nylon. Unfortunately, many deceptive sellers have hiked prices but sell fake scarves. It is important to ask the seller for a certificate of authenticity. If he is not able to produce one, then he might be a fraud. Nevertheless, plain scarves will range from $120 to $150. If the scarf is patterned, printed, or laced, it will rise in price. Embroidered scarves might even be priced at $300.
Pashmina shawl (sometimes called ring Pashminas) is the ever-loved and world-famous wrap accessory. These are found in Kashmir, India. The raw wool for these shawls is found in Ladakh. Here the exotic Changthangi goat grows Cashmere over its underbelly and neck to survive harsh temperature. When spring and summer arrive, this wool makes the goat extremely uncomfortable. This shows how warm the wool is. The goat starts rubbing itself with bushes, rocks, and other rough surfaces and gets rid of this wool. It is sent to Kashmir where artisans clean it, sort it, spin it, and weave it into heavenly soft, luxury Pashmina shawls.
Finesse of Pashmina shawls
The Pashmina yarn is so thin and it is sometimes barely visible. The average diameter of Pashmina yarn is 12-16 microns which equals one-fifth of human hair. The yarn is so light that it doesn't even feel over one's body. But this feathery light and the cozy shawl are so warm that you might not even need a sweater during the start of the winter season
The feathery light Aqua Pashmina Shawl
In addition to being the most comfortable accessory, a Pashmina shawl is ever stylish and a classic. Ever since Empress Josephine set it into a timeless fashion, Pashmina shawl has never looked back. But a problem with its purity and originality rose when machines and fake synthetics began to interfere in markets. However, tests were invented to identify real Pashmina. One of the oldest tests is the ring test.
It is said that the purest Pashmina Shawl will pass through the tiniest of rings. The base is so smooth that the entire shawl passes through a ring of the little finger. This has earned it the name "ring Pashmina"
The Test
Pashmina is the fine art of weaving cashmere fiber into wrap accessories. It has a weaving style that is so thin, light, and delicate that the whole shawl can be passed through a ring.
The fineness of the pashm wool is between 14-16 microns. This is in contrast to the finest sheep’s wool which is 23 microns. Note that human hair is up to 70 microns in diameter
Real ring Pashmina shawls are very soft and warm to touch, owing to the fineness of the hair. All our plain Pashmina shawls, stoles, and scarves match the quality of shahtoosh and pass the ring test!
Click here to see our luxury collection of the finest Pashminas
Pashmina is the handwoven luxury that holds its wearer in a heavenly warmth. Raw wool or Cashmere is found in Ladakh. It is grown over the sensitive underbelly of an exotic species of goats called the Changthangi or Cashmere goat. The goat grows the luxury soft fleece in winters to protect itself from severe cold. Come spring, and its herders gently comb its body to remove the soft wool as it becomes more uncomfortable during summer. Later the soft wool is sent to Kashmir, where women artisans clean, sort, and spin it. Later men artisans weave and embroider it and it sells in the market as the grandest and regal accessory ever.
Pashmina is known all over the world, and not just locally. It once used to be a prime component of the wardrobes of queen, kings, and nobles of royal courts. Empress Josephine owned as many as a hundred Pashmina shawls. Mughal kings used to gift Pashmina shawls to each other. Hence these exquisite shawls need no introduction to the maximum number of people in the entire world. Are you one of them?
Even Rachel from FRIENDS knew what a Pashmina is. And when shows like “FRIENDS” have a mention of ‘Pashmina’ and fashionistas like Jennifer Aniston know it, how can we not investigate?
Well, the scene from FRIENDS showed Ross's timeless humor but reiterated the fact that people around the world are unaware of the quality of pure Pashmina and its exclusive nature. The prevalent use of the word has resulted in degrading its real value to quite an extent.
On a lighter note, the worldwide recognition and appreciation of this fine fabric have led to people compare everything which is soft and warm to it. Well, isn’t that nice?
But as Ross said, “I am in love with these babies” and we don’t disagree, who can resist the exquisiteness of a pure Pashmina?
It’s truly like diving into a cloud of fur.
Pashmina mentioned in FRIENDS
When you invest in art, you should know about the painter, his skill, and the type of art he is famous for. Similarly, when you buy a real Pashmina, you must know the terminology to make a smart purchase. Have a look...
Ply means the layers of threads used to make the pure Pashmina. Therefore higher the ply more is the thickness.
3. Is it a handwoven Pashmina or a machine-made Pashmina?
The fine Cashmere
There are many retailers who would sell you a Pashmina saying it's hand-woven when it is actually machine woven. Clearly, it is very difficult to find out the truth. Even so, the quality of the pure will speak for itself and help in the decision-making. Sometimes, the best way is to trust the source and the reviews of other clients. The higher the number of hours put into making this luxury wrap, the more expensive it is. Briefly, it’s mainly the amount of labor, which makes a big part of the cost.
4. How many hours did it take to make the Pashmina?
A fine needle work carried upon the delicate Pashmina shawl to infuse traditional motifs
When Kashmiri Pashmina is handwoven, the most important question is the number of hours put in. In that case, there is a high probability that the retailer might exaggerate it. However, trusted retailers would give you an exact measure to prove that the product of extremely high quality.
We, at Pashmina.com, make sure that below every product, there has been mentioned “time to craft” to help the buyer make the right decision.
The finest Pashmina comes from Kashmir. The Changthangi goat, indigenous to the Ladakh region grows a fine raw fleece as an undercoat. It is this undercoat that is ethically combed off the goat's body and processed to make Pashmina shawls, scarves, and wraps.
Note that the raw wool called Cashmere is found in Kashmir, whereas its processing is exclusive to Kashmir. It is solely the artisans of Kashmir who have the expertise to transform Cashmere to Pashmina wraps.
At Pashmina.com, we sell purely handcrafted and certified pieces free from any blends. The raw material is 100% Cashmere acquired from Ladakh, which is processed without mixing any foreign fabric. And since our products are handmade, they do not need any strengthening blends Pure Cashmere yarn is mounted onto wooden handlooms and handwoven by two local artisans in a span of 3-4 days. That is how these luxury pieces are conceived.
7. Are the Swarovski crystals real?
Swarovski studded Pashmina
You would see a lot of shawls with beautiful stones/crystals but not all of them are Swarovski. Even though the seller might say these are real crystals but beware! Real Swarovski is very expensive and they shine beautifully. Hence, if that’s the real crystal, the value of the Pashmina would be much higher than usual.
