Embroidered Pashmina
The name Pashmina has its roots in Persian word Pashminah or pasham which means wool. Pashmina is a goat down or wool obtained from the under belly of goats of Capra Hircus species found in remote regions of Himalayas at 14,000 feet above the sea level. The goats grow a thin inner coat of hair that protects them from extremely long, cold and harsh winters of the Himalayan Mountains in Kashmir area. Nepal being in the Himalayan region is also very famous for producing the pashmina items such as shawls and wraps. Pashmina is a Nepali word also.
Capra Hircus goats are also found in northwestern provinces of China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Qinghai and Tibet), Mongolia and Iran, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Australia and also in America where the wool is collected by combing the hair of the goat.
The inner coat of these sheep is used to make Pashmina wraps, shawls and many similar items. The goats are not harmed in the process of collecting wool from them. The pashmina fiber is collected from the bushes etc after it is shed by the goats naturally in the months of spring. It is also collected by combing their hair. The finest fibers are collected from the saddle, side and back of the goat’s body from the shoulder to the rump.
Pashmina or the Kashmir wool is also known as the diamond fiber and the soft gold of Asia. The pashmina wool is the finest, light weight, luxurious, softest and the warmest insulation wool fiber known to mankind. The goat wool fibers are highly adaptable to fine and thick yarns. Pure pashmina wool is dyed and spun into yarns and knit into different types of apparel items.
The basic colors of the natural pashmina are grey, brown and white. Since Pashmina adopts itself to beautiful coloring, it is therefore available in around four hundred colors and graduated color schemes.
The inner coat of the pashmina bearing goats is six times thinner than human hair—it is only 14-19 microns in diameter. It is, therefore, very soft and delicate. The genuine pashmina shawls are mostly hand woven and are exported predominantly to Europe and America.
Embroidered pashmina shawls are handcrafted by Kashmiri craftsmen. The embroidery work is called ‘kasida kari’. It is very delicate, minute, varied, colorful and elaborately detailed work which is exquisitely executed with great love and care. The finest embroidered shawls have no ‘wrong’ side. Both sides of the shawl display the same finesse and craftsmanship. The embroidery designs are either created by the artist designer himself or they are reproduced from his memory. The designs on the shawls are inspired by the sparking lakes of the valley, the broad curvaceous swirls of the river Jehlum, the tall chinar trees lining the broadways, or, the breathtaking hues of the dawn and dusk over the long mountain ranges. The designs may also depict the scenes from the folk lore, the philosophical themes, the history, culture and religion of the area including many fanciful scenes created by the designer himself. The common motifs portray floral borders, paisley, chinar leaves and buta cones.
The fine embroidery work on each pashmina item takes long hours of painstaking work each day spread over many days. This extraordinary work adds immense value to the already precious pashmina fabric and makes it very special. The embroidery work on each shawl carries the personal imprint of the artisan who sits bending upon it with his unblinking eyes focused on his work for hours at a stretch. The final result is a unique timeless classic pattern that, with its freshness and charm never goes out of fashion.Please visit our stylish pashmina shawls to choose a pashmina that suits you. .