The word Pashmina has been derived from a persian word “Pashm” which literally means Soft Gold. Pashmina is the most finnest from of wool in the world. The craft is believed to have its origins associated with a muslim saint named Mir Ali Hamdani. He along with his 700 craftsmen visited Ladakh and discovered that Ladakhi goats produced the most plush wool in the world. Impressed, he took some wool, made socks out of it and gifted them to the king of Kashmir - Sultan Kitabudin and suggested that they should start a Pashmina weaving industry in Kashmir. This marked the beginning of the making of the most luxurious pashmina shawl in the world - Cashmere Pashmina shawl.
The story of Pashmina starts in the himalayan range mountains where a goat named Chanthangi (Capra Hircus) develops the most plush wool in the world, to protect itself against the killing cold of an altitude of 15000 ft. Spring arrives and the goat sheds the same by rubbing itself against the rocks. It is this shed fleece which is collected by the shepherds and worthfully sold. This fleece then undergoes the elaborate process of pashmina making and eventually evolves into a luxury shawl.
Experts believe that the down hair or the under fleece is the most suitable for the craft. The fleece is sent to many places where the pashmina making takes place. Pashmina is made in China, mongolia and in some parts of Nepal but the best of it comes from Kashmir, India. Westerners first discovered the wool in Kashmir which is why they refer to it as Cashmere.
Owning a genuine pashmina is a dream for all but how do we really know that the Pashmina we are buying is real or not. To overcome this, we have certified Pashminas now available in the market. A pashmina where you can be sure that this is the absolute original one. The shawls are available in the market and online as well. Now before we get into the availability, let us see what certified cashmere Pashmina shawl is and what makes it stand out.
SHOPPING FOR CERTIFIED PASHMINA IN INDIA
The pashmina making craft in Kashmir was started in 15th Century. When the fleece is received in the valley, it undergoes the process of cleaning, deharing, spinning and weaving. All this is done manually and it takes around 33 artisans to complete one cashmere Pashmina shawl. The kashmiri pashmina fibre is considered to be the finest of all with a range 12 – 13 μ and a fibre length of 55 to 60 mm. It is this finesse which lends it the famous title of best pashmina in the world. The craft of cashmere Pashmina shawl making in kashmir has been the cherished one throughout the generations and still is one of the most demanding crafts in the valley. However over a period of time, the craft has been facing some threats because of the presence of duplicates in the market. The duplicates are degrading the reputation of authentic kashmiri Pashmina. People are getting cashmere pashmina Shawl at cheaper prices and although they are being told that it is the real one, the product actually turns out to be the fake, thereby breaching the trust of Customers. The problem today is that the markets are flooded with so many duplicate that it becomes difficult for a customer to recognise the authentic one. There was a campaign by a famous telecom company whereby they showcased the Pashmina seller proving the authenticity of Pashmina with the help of ring test but as per the grassroot artisans of authentic and certified pashmina, the ring text is absolutely faux and does not in any way prove the authenticity of Pashmina.
Now to protect this everlasting craft from the damage of duplicates, kashmiri pashmina was registered under the Geographical Indications(G.I) of Goods Act of India on 09-12-2008. The registration is the acknowledgement of the fact that the craft is unique and is produced in a particular area with traditional knowledge and skills specific to that region. Any Pashmina which is authenticated under this law has a covert (Readable under UV light) and has a unique visible code which can be searched on www.kashmirpashmina.secure-ga.com to verify the authenticity.
There is government recognised institution which tests the quality of pashmina and then provide them with marks for identification. To qualify for the mark, a pashmina has to fulfill 3 basic prerequisites and those are:
- The pashmina should be made from the original “Pashm” fibre having a finesse of below 16 microns and the wool should be the down hair of the goat.
- It should be hand spun on a traditional wheel called Charkha.
- It should be woven on a traditional handloom specific to it.
When a Pashmina fulfills all these requirements, it is deemed to be a certified handmade Pashmina.
The logic behind this is that, pashmina fibre is very delicate and cannot bear the pressure of machines. Some variants of cashmere Pashmina Shawl witnesses intervention of machinery at their spinning stage. However, actually the Pashm fibre is so fine, it does not possess the strength to pass through the mechanized giants. Hence, a little portion of poly fibre (preferably nylon) is added to raw Pashmina to give it the strength to pass through machines. Once spun, the entire yarn is carbonized which eliminates the presence of this poly fibre, though not completely. A negligible 5 – 6% of the nylon remains while the yarn proceeds for hand weaving. Weaving with hand and much delicacy is what actually a pure pashmina stands for. This nylon, if remained is what gets identified in the test and so the cashmere pashmina shawl is rejected from getting a mark.
Pashmina making is a very labour intensive process and everything in the process is done manually, this is the reason pashmina is a high priced luxury, so next time you get a pashmina at very cheap prices, recheck the quality. And as the admirers of an exquisite Pashmina, we would recommend to go for a certified Pashmina only so that you can be sure about your investment. Now Certified Pashmina can be bought either online or from a local artisan dealing into it . We completely understand how buying pashmina online can be a tough decision because of many risk factors involved, but if you live somewhere far and do not have the other mediums to buy there is no choice other than buying online. To make it easy for you we have done some research and did come up with some websites that sell the certified cashmere Pashmina shawl. Drilling it down, the top among them we could make out was the one named Kashmir Box. The company is based out in Kashmir itself and deals in all kinds of crafts that kashmir has to offer. The company works directly with grassroot artisans and have an agenda of taking the exquisite kashmiri craft to the world. Besides offering the machine spun pashminas, the website has a separate category for Certified Pashmina . Scrolling through the images you will find that every alternate image of the product has a picture of certification mark as well. The page info provides some insights into the artisan behind the product as well. In today’s times where these artisans are facing crises because of the duplicates in the market, this startup has been making efforts to revive the age old crafts of Kashmir, Quite impressive isn't it. There are other important crafts available on website as well like paper mache, walnut wood carving, elaborate kashmiri embroideries.
Coming back to our point of concern, which is Certified Pashmina, the company offers a wide range of choices there as well. They have Embroidered Certified Pashminas, Checked Pashminas, Modern Design Pashminas and Solid Pashminas. In Embroidery, there are further types which include Sozni Pashminas, Tilla Embroidered Pashminas and Aari Embroidered Pashminas. Keeping up with the needs of the modern times, their collection is basically a treat for any Pashmina lover.
So grab your phone or laptop, visit https://kashmirbox.com/ to check the entire collection and get your hands on you favourite Cashmere Pashmina shawl. Happy Shopping!The word Pashmina has been derived from a persian word “Pashm” which literally means Soft Gold. Pashmina is the most finnest from of wool in the world. The craft is believed to have its origins associated with a muslim saint named Mir Ali Hamdani. He along with his 700 craftsmen visited Ladakh and discovered that Ladakhi goats produced the most plush wool in the world. Impressed, he took some wool, made socks out of it and gifted them to the king of Kashmir - Sultan Kitabudin and suggested that they should start a Pashmina weaving industry in Kashmir. This marked the beginning of the making of the most luxurious pashmina shawl in the world - Cashmere Pashmina shawl.
The story of Pashmina starts in the himalayan range mountains where a goat named Chanthangi (Capra Hircus) develops the most plush wool in the world, to protect itself against the killing cold of an altitude of 15000 ft. Spring arrives and the goat sheds the same by rubbing itself against the rocks. It is this shed fleece which is collected by the shepherds and worthfully sold. This fleece then undergoes the elaborate process of pashmina making and eventually evolves into a luxury shawl.
Experts believe that the down hair or the under fleece is the most suitable for the craft. The fleece is sent to many places where the pashmina making takes place. Pashmina is made in China, mongolia and in some parts of Nepal but the best of it comes from Kashmir, India. Westerners first discovered the wool in Kashmir which is why they refer to it as Cashmere.
Owning a genuine pashmina is a dream for all but how do we really know that the Pashmina we are buying is real or not. To overcome this, we have certified Pashminas now available in the market. A pashmina where you can be sure that this is the absolute original one. The shawls are available in the market and online as well. Now before we get into the availability, let us see what certified cashmere Pashmina shawl is and what makes it stand out.
SHOPPING FOR CERTIFIED PASHMINA IN INDIA
The pashmina making craft in Kashmir was started in 15th Century. When the fleece is received in the valley, it undergoes the process of cleaning, deharing, spinning and weaving. All this is done manually and it takes around 33 artisans to complete one cashmere Pashmina shawl. The kashmiri pashmina fibre is considered to be the finest of all with a range 12 – 13 μ and a fibre length of 55 to 60 mm. It is this finesse which lends it the famous title of best pashmina in the world. The craft of cashmere Pashmina shawl making in kashmir has been the cherished one throughout the generations and still is one of the most demanding crafts in the valley. However over a period of time, the craft has been facing some threats because of the presence of duplicates in the market. The duplicates are degrading the reputation of authentic kashmiri Pashmina. People are getting cashmere pashmina Shawl at cheaper prices and although they are being told that it is the real one, the product actually turns out to be the fake, thereby breaching the trust of Customers. The problem today is that the markets are flooded with so many duplicate that it becomes difficult for a customer to recognise the authentic one. There was a campaign by a famous telecom company whereby they showcased the Pashmina seller proving the authenticity of Pashmina with the help of ring test but as per the grassroot artisans of authentic and certified pashmina, the ring text is absolutely faux and does not in any way prove the authenticity of Pashmina.
Now to protect this everlasting craft from the damage of duplicates, kashmiri pashmina was registered under the Geographical Indications(G.I) of Goods Act of India on 09-12-2008. The registration is the acknowledgement of the fact that the craft is unique and is produced in a particular area with traditional knowledge and skills specific to that region. Any Pashmina which is authenticated under this law has a covert (Readable under UV light) and has a unique visible code which can be searched on www.kashmirpashmina.secure-ga.com to verify the authenticity.
There is government recognised institution which tests the quality of pashmina and then provide them with marks for identification. To qualify for the mark, a pashmina has to fulfill 3 basic prerequisites and those are:
- The pashmina should be made from the original “Pashm” fibre having a finesse of below 16 microns and the wool should be the down hair of the goat.
- It should be hand spun on a traditional wheel called Charkha.
- It should be woven on a traditional handloom specific to it.
When a Pashmina fulfills all these requirements, it is deemed to be a certified handmade Pashmina.
The logic behind this is that, pashmina fibre is very delicate and cannot bear the pressure of machines. Some variants of cashmere Pashmina Shawl witnesses intervention of machinery at their spinning stage. However, actually the Pashm fibre is so fine, it does not possess the strength to pass through the mechanized giants. Hence, a little portion of poly fibre (preferably nylon) is added to raw Pashmina to give it the strength to pass through machines. Once spun, the entire yarn is carbonized which eliminates the presence of this poly fibre, though not completely. A negligible 5 – 6% of the nylon remains while the yarn proceeds for hand weaving. Weaving with hand and much delicacy is what actually a pure pashmina stands for. This nylon, if remained is what gets identified in the test and so the cashmere pashmina shawl is rejected from getting a mark.
Pashmina making is a very labour intensive process and everything in the process is done manually, this is the reason pashmina is a high priced luxury, so next time you get a pashmina at very cheap prices, recheck the quality. And as the admirers of an exquisite Pashmina, we would recommend to go for a certified Pashmina only so that you can be sure about your investment. Now Certified Pashmina can be bought either online or from a local artisan dealing into it . We completely understand how buying pashmina online can be a tough decision because of many risk factors involved, but if you live somewhere far and do not have the other mediums to buy there is no choice other than buying online. To make it easy for you we have done some research and did come up with some websites that sell the certified cashmere Pashmina shawl. Drilling it down, the top among them we could make out was the one named Kashmir Box. The company is based out in Kashmir itself and deals in all kinds of crafts that kashmir has to offer. The company works directly with grassroot artisans and have an agenda of taking the exquisite kashmiri craft to the world. Besides offering the machine spun pashminas, the website has a separate category for Certified Pashmina . Scrolling through the images you will find that every alternate image of the product has a picture of certification mark as well. The page info provides some insights into the artisan behind the product as well. In today’s times where these artisans are facing crises because of the duplicates in the market, this startup has been making efforts to revive the age old crafts of Kashmir, Quite impressive isn't it. There are other important crafts available on website as well like paper mache, walnut wood carving, elaborate kashmiri embroideries.
Coming back to our point of concern, which is Certified Pashmina, the company offers a wide range of choices there as well. They have Embroidered Certified Pashminas, Checked Pashminas, Modern Design Pashminas and Solid Pashminas. In Embroidery, there are further types which include Sozni Pashminas, Tilla Embroidered Pashminas and Aari Embroidered Pashminas. Keeping up with the needs of the modern times, their collection is basically a treat for any Pashmina lover.
So grab your phone or laptop, visit https://kashmirbox.com/ to check the entire collection and get your hands on you favourite Cashmere Pashmina shawl. Happy Shopping!