What material is Pashmina Cashmere Shawl Wrap made of?
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-pashmina.htm Pashmina is a textile which became popular in the West in the late 1990s. It is very soft and warm, and used primarily in scarves and shawls. The word is derived from the Persian word pashm, which refers to the undercoat of fur on many animals – in this case, the goat. Pashmina is usually made with wool from the underbelly of the Himalayan goat. Pure pashmina scarves and shawls are available, though many people find them too coarse or rough. A softening process is used by some manufacturers dealing in 100% pashmina. This process gives the pashmina a soft, almost silken quality. Because of the softness of processed pahmina garments, pure pashmina will often be referred to as cashmere. However, pashmina is slightly different — and it comes from Tibet, not Kashmir. Most commercially available pashmina is actually a blend of pure pashmina wool and silk. This adds strength
Pashmina is the original word for cashmere.
Pashmina is the local word used in the Himalayan region to describe any fabric woven from the soft inner wool of the local mountain goat (capra hircus laniger).
Europeans first encountered pashmina in the then-colonial province of Kashmir, which is why they named it cashmere. However, this fabric is woven throughout the region.
The other difference is the term cashmere is trademark protected, while pashmina is not. That means anyone can label practically any material as pashmina, and thus the market is flooded with imitations.
You can learn more about pashmina in my free ebook, Seven Tests for the Real Pashmina. It’s a downloadable guide for shoppers that teaches you seven simple tests to determine the quality of any pashmina fabric.
