Pashmina

Pashmina cashmere is spun from the downy undercoat of the Himalayan mountain goat which live at high altitude (above 15,000 ft./5,000 M.). The colder the conditions the better the quality of the wool. The goat from which the cashmere comes is called the Chyangra. The word pashmina is derived from 'pashm' which means 'inner layer of hair'. On average, one human hair is 75 microns thick; normal cashmere is approximately 20 microns; super Grade A pashmina cashmere is 12 microns thick. In other words, the best quality pashmina cashmere is 6 times finer than a human hair. One goat produces enough wool for 1 scarf and three goats must be combed to make a shawl.
 Pure pashmina shawls (with no added silk) are so fine that they can be pulled through a wedding ring, hence the term 'Ring Shawl'.