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| Oddly
enough, Pashmina is a word which doesn't appear in the usual online dictionaries,
or even in our Webster's. And yet, if you search for "pashmina" on Yahoo!,
you'll find a host of sites offering pashmina shawls and scarves
According
to the Oxford English Dictionary,
pashm, from the Persian
word for "wool," refers to the underfur of certain Tibetan animals, particularly
goats, commonly used for the making of shawls.
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| Pashmina,
also known as the "diamond fiber" and the "soft gold of high
Asia", is the finest, softest and warmest wool found in nature. It comes
from the underbelly of the Capra Hircus goat (locally called "chyangra"),
in the remote regions of the Himalayas, 14,000 feet above sea level. These
goats grow a thin, inner coat of hair that insulates them during the long,
harsh winters of the Himalayas. This inner coat is called pashmina.
Each pashmina hair is approximately 1/6th the diameter of human hair. The
annual growth of three goats is required to produce one pashmina shawl.
However, these goats are not harmed in the process of producing pashmina,
as it is collected after being shed naturally. This is unlike the process
of producing shahtoosh, in which the endangered Tibetan antelopes are killed. |
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Capra Hircus ('Chyangra")
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.In
order to give strength to delicate Pashmina wool and to add the glossy
elegant
finish that is so appealing, our expert craftspeople weave it with
fine silk. Next they hand-twist the distinctive tassels/fringe. The shawl
is then dyed from a selection of beautiful colors.
History has it that in 1796,
the governor of Kashmir gave Pashmina to a visitor from Baghdad who passed
it on to the Egyptian royal family. The same garment was then presented
to Napoleon Bonaparte who gifted it to his wife Josephine. The Empress
liked it so much she immediately sent for more in every available color.
From then on Pashmina became an integral part of every European noblewoman's
trousseau.
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The modern
world was slow to discover Pashmina's unique qualities. But all that has
changed and the Pashmina is now an essential part of every chic woman's
wardrobe.
Pashminas can be worn
anywhere at anytime with just about anything. So comfy and versatile
you won't want to be seen without yours.
Wear it daytime with jeans
or look sublimely elegant with an evening gown. Tuck it into your purse
as a snugly blanket on a long flight.
These stylish, pashmina wraps
have become part of every fashion conscious woman's wardrobe, a virtual
necessity
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