What exactly pashmina and why is the latest buzzword among fashion insiders? Considered the rolls royce of cashmere, it is the softest, lightest, and most luxurious of fibers available, second only to shah-toosh, otherwise known as the "King of the wool" or "fiber of the Gods". Shah-toosh is also called a ring scarf because the weave is so warm that it is possible to hard boil an egg overnight wrapped in a shah-toosh shawl. So, back to "Pashmina", which is luxury and yet affordable. Sometimes referred to as "faux shah-toosh", the fiber comes from the wool of Capra Hircus, the same goat cashmere comes from, only this one lives way up in the Himalayas.

At height of 12'000 to 14'000 feet or more there is little vegetation and extremely cold winters. The exquisite fiber, spun and woven in the highlands of the Himalayas, is known as the, "Soft Gold of High Asia". The caravans of the legendary Silk Road opened the markets of Europe and Asia to unique commodities in the 18th and 19th century. Among the most desirable of all, was the ethereally soft, luxuriously warm textile known as, "PASHMINA". The raw material source for these products are Tibet, Nepal, and Mongolia. The Pashmina comes from either Tibet or Nepal and the Silk for the shawls comes from China.

The dyeing is done by hand on individual shawls and between dye lots, there is a 95% color consistency. The textile pantone color cards are used and the color range therefore is virtually endless. Only recommended swiss AZO-free dyestuff is used. For 100% pashmina products yarn of 2/60's , 2/24's and 1/28's counts are used. And for silk/pashmina blend, the pashmina yarn count is usually 1/28's and the silk yarn count can be either 2/10's or 1/40's.