Cashmere-Your Guide to 100% Pure Cashmere

Fake Pashmina, A Threat to Luxurious Pashmina

2008-12-31T20:25:00.004Z

Fake Pashmina is a threat to the luxurious, superior quality pashmina. More of this is to do with lack of awareness among people about pashmina. Mostly people consider pashmina as simply a shawl or wrap. The streets of cities like London and New york are stocked up with cheap and very poor quality pashmina products. You can buy pashminas for even $5 in some of shops.

From time to time we try to raise awareness among people about real and superior quality pashminas. Fake pashmina is a threat for thousands of people who rely on the trade of pure pashmina in regions across India, Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan.

Cashmere is other name used for pure pashmina. Cashmere is the only name recognized as far as wool standards are concerned. Due to this reason, the shops selling fake cashmere or pashmina are naming there products as pashminas. Because this way they are selling fake cashmere/pashmina. They can not label their products 100% Cashmere so they mislead customers by saying its pashmina. While actually anything which is sold as pashmina should be clearly labeled with how much % cashmere it has.

Pure cashmere is luxurious, soft and warm wool. Shawls and scarves made from pashmina or cashmere are considered as finest and warm. To appreciate pure cashmere or pashmina, only buy 100% cashmere shawls or scarves.

Author: This post is written by Sahota from Cashmere Guide - Your Guide to 100% Pure Cashmere who also runs an online Cashmere Scarves Shop

Why can't Style Editors find out More About Cashmere?

2008-10-16T20:57:00.006+01:00

It is no surprise why there is lot confusion among customers about quality of cashmere in market. I recently read article by style editor Kim Crow of CLEVELAND which answers questions asked by readers.

But it was surprising that even she was not sure about truth about cashmere. She said

"Cashmere is a fine hair combed from the underbelly of Capra hircus goats, which form nomadic herds in the harsh mountain climates of northern China, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Iran. They produce different types of fiber, from the finest and most expensive "white" of China through coarser, darker Mongolian, then Afghan and Iranian."

While in reality it is not true completely. She didn't even mentioned India, Nepal, Tibet and Kazakhastan in this list. These are also major producers of cashmere. Also as such there are no grades in cashmere other than technical definition of cashmere under wool act as following:

The U.S. Wool Products Labelling Act of 1939, defines Cashmere as

Fine undercoat fibres produced by a cashmere goat
the average diameter of the fibre less than 19 micron
coefficient of variation should not be more than 24%
coarse hair content (hairs with diameter great than 30 micron) should not be more than 3%(by weight)

I was expecting great answers from Kim and it would have been great if she could have looked into more about cashmere and history so that to the point and accurate information is given to readers of CLEAVELAND.

Find more details about What is Cashmere?

Also the checks she mentioned for finding about pure cashmere are not very true. My past experience of more than 10 years in trade of cashmere shows that from whom you are buying the cashmere is most important. I would suggest to buy from shops and online stores who are specialized in Cashmere. It would be easier for customers to shop cashmere is retailers can be more open about what is ratio of cashmere in the clothing they are selling. If it is 100% cashmere, they should get samples from their stock tested by a test lab. I know it is very hard to find 100% pure cashmere, but it is still possible to find it in some shops and online stores. I think retailers needs to be more responsible about cashmere labelling as otherwise it is not possible for customers to value 100% pure cashmere products such as cashmere scarves

Author: This post is written by Sahota from Cashmere Guide - Your Guide to 100% Pure Cashmere who also runs an online Cashmere Scarves Shop

Is Cashmere in your Holiday Suitcase?

2008-08-04T14:58:00.004+01:00

We all are planning to go for holidays and are busy packing. I thought to discuss and also find out what everyone is packing.

In my opinion a Cashmere is must have, be it cardigan or a shawl or cashmere wrap. As cashmere doesn't feel warm in summers and then keeps you warm in low temperatures. So you can use it whenever you want to. It is great for summer evenings to just wrap yourself in cashmere.

Its not just me who think so, fashion writer for of The Independent, Susannah Frankel says

"As far as cover-ups are concerned... never trust a woman in a beaded kaftan. A fine cashmere cardigan is my constant companion, surprisingly breathable by day and perfect for balmy evenings."

What do you think about it? Do you think Cashmere is must have in your holiday packing list?

Author: This post is written by Sahota from Cashmere Guide - Your Guide to 100% Pure Cashmere who also runs an Online Shop for Women's Scarves - Cashmere , Nettle and Lambswool.

Does pashmina or cashmere itch ?

2008-06-25T23:44:00.010+01:00

Recently we got several queries from visitors to this blog about If cashmere or pashmina can feel itchy ?

Just to clarify to everyone who comes to this blog in search of information about cashmere, 100% pure cashmere or pashmina don't itch. We sell cashmere scarves from our website and have never listened for anyone that cashmere is itchy. Also our experience of cashmere says that cashmere is very soft wool and it don't itch. Everyone who buys cashmere from our website always come back to buy more and have said that it feels great to skin and also in winter it keeps them warm.

But it is sad to say that most of time you can come across fake cashmere or pashminas in high street shops or even some high end fashion shops. This is happening due to lack of knowledge among retailers about cashmere.

Most of time cashmere or pashmina is mixed with other poor quality wool fabric, silk or sometimes even artificial fabrics. It is these fabrics which make cashmere or pashmina feel itchy.

So if you buy 100% pure cashmere or pashmina from a retailer who source pure cashmere, then you will find that cashmere don't itch. It just feels great to skin.

We hope this article will help in clarifying fact that Cashmere or Pashmina doesn't itch.

Other Related Blog Posts:

Author: This post is written by Sahota from Cashmere Guide - Your Guide to 100% Pure Cashmere who also runs an online shop UNIQLOOKS for cashmere scarves lovers.

How to Wear a Cashmere Scarf?

2008-05-09T22:30:00.007+01:00

Cashmere Scarf is a perfect accessory for winter and evening parties. But so often we all wonder about How to wear a cashmere scarf?

Here is a video which shows you three styles to wear a cashmere scarf:

Download the complete Video "How to Tie a Scarf in Top 10 Celebrity Styles"

Author: This post is written by Sahota from Cashmere Guide - Your Guide to 100% Pure Cashmere . Visit UNIQLOOKS for 100% Pure Cashmere Scarves

How Much you should Pay for Pure Cashmere or Pashmina ?

2008-04-19T14:09:00.008+01:00

When we all shop around for cashmere or pashmina, we get confused by so much variation in price. Even few of us get confused by name cashmere and pashmina. Some products say 100% Cashmere , others say 100% pashmina. For the time being just remember that cashmere and pashmina are same type of wool. I will write about this sometime later.

But in case you are confused by so much variations in price of cashmere and pashmina, then here are few things that you can take into consideration while shopping cashmere or pashmina scarf/shawl:

Aoid buying from street stalls which sell pashmina and cashmere products. I am not saying that they always sell adulterated cashmere or pashmina but this is the case most of times. Reason is that they can not afford to buy pure cashmere as pure cashmere costs much more than adulterated cashmere.

A decent price of a cashmere scarf is anything between £25 - £40

Price of cashmere also depends on brand. Sometime buying from internet will mean that you will pay little less than a shop on high street

If a Cashmere Scarf or shawl is handmade then it might cost even more than £40. But in this case should take into consideration the extra effort it goes to hand knit or hand weave the cashmere.

Any cashmere or pashmina scarf which is up for sale for less than £25, keep yourself away for that. Only exception is clearance sale or off season sale when shops are trying to get rid of old stock.

I hope this post will help you in deciding which cashmere you should buy.

Please feel free to share your thoughts by commenting on this post. I will love to hear from you all.

5 Reasons to Love Cashmere

2008-04-09T22:54:00.020+01:00

If you are planning to buy cashmere or are thinking if you should buy cashmere or not then this post might help you in deciding that.

Everybody who has bought cashmere knows what is special about cashmere. But still lot of us don’t know exactly how it feels when you wear cashmere scarf or cashmere sweater or cashmere shawl.

Top 5 reasons why you will love cashmere are:

Whisper Soft - Cashmere is so soft that you will love to cuddle up with it. No natural wool can match feathery softness of a clothing item made from cashmere.

Lightweight - Cashmere is very light in weight. If you are wearing a cashmere scarf, you can take if off any time and fold it and put it in your handbag.

Warm – Cashmere makes sure you are safe from low temperatures of winter.Cashmere doesn’t itch like most of other wools sometimes does.

Yes Yes , I know you must be thinking “what about that static charge which I feel when I feel woollens” Don’t worry when you wear 100% cashmere you should not feel any static charge.

But keep in mind all of above is valid for only 100% cashmere products. Or similar kind of benefits you will find in products with higher % of cashmere which are made using more than 90% cashmere.

Is cashmere really good to buy?

2008-03-24T21:09:00.002Z

When you decide to buy cashmere products, you will also see products similar to those made by other types of wool. Say you decide to buy a scarf and when you get into a high street fashion store, you will find cashmere scarves displayed along with several other scarves, made from other type of wool e.g. lambswool scarves. Then you got confused which one you should go for. As other type of wool scarves will be very cheap as compared to cashmere scarves.

Here are two quick tips for shopping cashmere:

As there is lot of adulterated cashmere in the market, so first make sure if what you are looking at, is real cashmere. Visit How do you know if it is really 100% cashmere .

Don’t compare cost of cashmere with any other products made from other type of wool. As it is very expensive to produce 100% pure cashmere. Why cashmere is costly?

Why Cashmere Products are Costly?

2008-03-19T21:56:00.003Z

If you want to buy 100% pure cashmere products e.g.Pure Cashmere Scarves , you have to pay good price.

Even though price of pure cashmere varies from retailer to retailer, still broadly following are factors which influence the price of cashmere:

Is the product made of 100% Pure Cashmere? or it is mix of cashmere and other fabric. There are lot of products in market in which silk is mixed with cashmere. But 100% pure cashmere comes with a price.

Is Cashmere product handmade or machine made? For example lot of products produced in rural areas of India, Nepal and Pakistan are made using hand. They still use traditional weaving techniques.

If fair price is paid to workers who produced cashmere or not?

What is size of the product? The more is the size of product, more cashmere will be used to produce the product, hence more cost.

Cashmere Goats lie in very high altitude areas, so more cost is involved in raising them. This also increases the price of cashmere as compared to other type of wool.

How do you know it is Cashmere?

2008-02-16T23:34:00.005Z

How to test cashmere ? or How you can test quality of Cashmere ? or How do you tell if it is really 100% cashmere ? or How do you identify if it is cashmere ? is the first question which comes to your mind when you decide to buy cashmere.

It is very important to know that what you are buying is 100% pure cashmere or not. With most of cashmere available as adulterated cashmere in market it has become even more important to identify 100% pure cashmere.

Here is list of few checks which you can do to find if it is pure cashmere or not:

Make sure product is labeled as 100% Cashmere.
Buy from a responsible seller. A responsible seller of cashmere is one who has got their cashmere tested by a recognised test lab. If you are buying online then it is even more important to look for a cashmere test certificate on the website. Visit this cashmere scarf page which has link to a cashmere test report.
If you are buying from a physical store, then just feel the cashmere on sensitive parts of skin like chin. Cashmere should not itch.
Most of time cashmere is mixed with silk. This you can easily find from shine of the cashmere items. So if you want to buy just 100% pure cashmere, avoid silky and shiny looking cashmere as cashmere doesn't shine like silk.
If you are buying online make sure seller has good return policy so that in case you found cashmere of poor quality, you can return the item later.

What is Cashmere Made of ?

2008-02-15T22:54:00.005Z

What is Cashmere Made of? or Where does cashmere comes from? is the common question by many who love cashmere clothes. Here is answer to this popular question.

Cashmere is a fibre collected from the cashmere goat. Cashmere goats grow naturally a layer of very fine hairs to withstand very low temperatures in winter.

After winter, cashmere goats shed this very thin layer of hair naturally. These hair are then combed off in a friendly manner from the goats. No goat is harmed in any way while collecting the hair. These hairs are then processed to produce cashmere. It is then spun into yarn, dyed and then woven or knitted to make clothing items like Cashmere Scarf, Cashmere Shawl and Cashmere Sweaters etc.

Other Related Posts:

Author: This post is written by Sahota from Cashmere Guide - Your Guide to 100% Pure Cashmere who also runs an online shop UNIQLOOKS for cashmere scarf lovers.

What is Cashmere?

2008-01-26T23:32:00.003Z

What is Cashmere? is the most frequently asked question about cashmere. And being this as the first post on this blog, I decided that what is cashmere? is perfect subject for my first post.

Cashmere is a type of wool. It is very soft, warm and light in weight. Due to these properties cashmere is used to manufacture various clothing items e.g. Cashmere Scarves, sweaters for winter.

Cashmere wool is made from the fine undercoat fibres produced by a Cashmere goat.

“Cashmere” name has been derived from “Kashmir” a state in north of India bordering Pakistan and China. Kashmir is considered as first source of cashmere from where cashmere was imported to various parts of world. India, China, Tibet, Pakistan and Nepal are considered as main sources of cashmere. But as demands of cashmere is increasing day by day new places across world have started producing cashmere. For example recently high altitudes of Scotland and Kazakhstan have also started producing cashmere.

The U.S. Wool Products Labelling Act of 1939, defines Cashmere as

Fine undercoat fibres produced by a cashmere goat
the average diameter of the fibre less than 19 micron
coefficient of variation should not be more than 24%
coarse hair content (hairs with diameter great than 30 micron) should not be more than 3%(by weight)