What is pashmina?

On the Internet, you can buy 'pashminas' for as little as $2.25.

Think that's real pashmina? Of course not. You already realize there's something more to pashmina, which is why you found this page.

You'll find all the answers in Seven Tests for the Real Pashmina. These seven tests are easy to learn; you can use them right in the store to screen out the dreck. And you can download the book for free.

So what is pashmina exactly?

Pashmina is the original name for cashmere

Pashm is the word used by the peoples of the Himalayan Plateau to describe the luxuriously soft and lightweight inner fleece they cultivate from the local mountain goat (capra hircus laniger).

The fabrics woven from pashm are called pashmina.

The peoples of the Himalayas have been weaving pashmina since the beginning of recorded history. They still do today.

Keep in mind that even though cashmere and pashmina are the same basic material, there are big differences in quality.

While the commercial standard for mass-produced cashmere yarn is 19 microns, the quality of yarn we use is 14 microns. (If that doesn't make sense, just keep reading. You'll find an explanation on the following page.)

What difference does quality make?

Baby soft and feather light ... natural warmth on your bare shoulders ... softer with repeated washing ...

These are qualities of the real pashmina!

If you have not yet experienced it for yourself, you may have no idea how luxurious pashmina feels against your skin.

In the West, the very word pashmina has become so devalued that to many people it just means a kind of fancy scarf.

That’s because much of the so-called ‘pashmina’ on the market is mass-produced, of a lower quality, blended with artificial fibers, or simply fake.

The uninformed shopper has no idea what she's missing.

Fortunately, that doesn't have to mean you!

Next page: A pashmina definition for your left brain

Hand-woven pashmina, made in Nepal in over 80 colors ...

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The Real Pashmina by Steven Carlson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

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