Pashmina Shawl

Graceful colors, Chinese Red, Golden Yellow, lush green, creamy white – all are the beautiful colors which you will find in Pashmina. Pashmina, the grace of Kashmir is a kind of wool which is very warm and light in nature. Worn with grace in a number of ways, the kashidakari makes it more beautiful. The splendor of Pashmina lies in the way its worn.


Most of the time you heard about Pashmina, it must have been the Pashmina Shawls. Soft, light like a feather and the coming in beautiful colors, Pashmina Shawls are most spoken of and sought after.
Pashmina is a Urdu and Persian word which became famous after its shawls. Originally the shawls were handwoven and embroided in Kashmir.

The small threads of Pashmina is called as pashm or pashmina. The beginning of Pashmina thread making began in 3rd Century BC. However, professionally the fabric came into existence in the 15th Century. It was Zayn- ul-Abidin, the then ruler of Kashmir who introduced weavers from Central Asia, to the production of Pahmina Shawls into marketing.

For the production of Pashmina, the Pahmina Goat (breed of Goat), is reared in flocks. The goats shed its winter coat every spring. Per goat 3 – 8 ounces of fiber is shed, which is then collected and spun into threads. Its then woven into shawls on which then embroidery is done. For the colors, natural colors coming from flowers and trees are used. These are fast colors and last till the life of the Shawl.

Pashmina Shawls usually come in the size 36 * 80. The smaller size ones are called stols which are used to cover head or simply as style icon. The pure Pashmina is quite costly coming in the range of INR 7000 to INR 50,000, depending upon the thread and the embroidery. The thinner the tread and the intricate the embroidery, the costlier the Pashmina Shawl.


Pashmina Shawls also come in mix of Pashmina and Silk thread. Usually the mix is in the ratio 70 : 30. A Pashmina Shawl can cost as low as $50. But beware of the artificial ones which have popped up in the market. These are usually the viscose ones which come as low as INR 1000. Do not buy these as Pahmina is costly can cannot be sold at such low prices. So next time you go to buy Pashmina, make sure you are buying the real one and not the artificial ones ! Happy Shopping !