pashmina shawls and stoles

Pashmina is one of the world's most luxurious natural fibers, derived from a rare Central Asian mountain goat. Nomads living in the rugged and remote Himalayan mountains tend to the goats. Only those goats found about 14,000 ft. where high speed winds and freezing temperatures exist, possess a special undercoat of "pashm." Other long, coarse hairs envelop the goat and conserve the delicateness of the animal's underfleece. It is this wool (pashm) which serves to make the shawls, refered to as Pashmina after being woven.

"This type of goat is probably the most beautiful of all wool-producing goats," wrote S. Turner, England's ambassador to Tibet in 1783. "It is superior in beauty, color and texture to all others." For many generations, Pashmina shawls have been collected as heirlooms and honoured as symbols of prestige throughout the world.

Kashmir is the only place in the world where fine embroidered Pashmina Shawls have been woven, like Shahtoosh and Jamavar. Pashmina Shawls are hand-embroidered in Kashmir. Kashmir lies in the Valley of the Himalayas, surrounded by the highest mountains in the world. Kashmir was one of the important trade routes between east and west. Although it has a long history of political upheavals, the people of Kashmir have kept the art of shawl-weaving as one of their best forms of artistic talent.

From its early appearance as a graceful, naturalistic flowering plant in the 17th century, the motif commonly known as 'Paisley' represents Indian art through its mutations over the next two hundred years in the familiar teardrop shape.

At the court of the Mughal emperors of northern India, a single flowering-plant motif appeared and became a hallmark of Mughal art. In the Himalayan region of Kashmir, this design was used to embellish fine, goat-hair shoulder mantles and sashes woven for male officials of the Mughal court.

When the occasion calls for accessorizing with elegance, these fabulous scarves and shawls allow you to add those finishing touches of perfection. Exquisite body wrap, soft and light weight, yet very warm and cozy. Hand embroidered in typical Kashmiri stitch, which is so famous all over the world. One cannot even imagine the amount of labor gone into it in embroidering this lovely piece, truly a masterpiece, one would cherish forever.The embroidery is so fine and intricate, it takes months to embroider a fine pattern like this. Graceful and eye-catching, this luxurious shawl is hand-woven in semi pashmina in the valley of Kashmir, in India, and sells at very steep prices even in India. Perfect wear with ethnic and American dresses, casuals and jeans. A must have for elegant dressing. Beautiful and sophisticated, in midnight blue color with embroidery in shades of orange, peach and brown, as appearing in the pictures. Size: 78"x41" (198cm x 71cm) approx. Pictures do no justice at all to the actual product, kashmiri stitch has to been seen to be appreciated.