Authenticity
How to tell a real one.
There is a great deal of cloth in the world that calls itself pashmina. Most of it is not. Here is how to tell the difference, on our pieces and on anyone else’s.
The GI tag
Kashmir Pashmina — a protected name
In 2008 the Government of India granted Kashmir Pashmina a Geographical Indication. It means, in law, that only pashmina spun and woven in Kashmir, from the under-coat of the Changthangi goat, can be sold under the name. The Pashmina Testing & Quality Certification Centre in Srinagar tests pieces for fibre content and manufacturing origin, and issues a small holographic label which is stitched onto the cloth.
Every piece in our ledger that is described as “pashmina” carries either a P.T.Q.C.C. label or, for very recent pieces, documentation that the certification is in process. We will tell you which, on every piece, before you commit.
Five small tests
Things you can check at home
- 01.
The eye test
Real pashmina has an uneven, slightly dull sheen — the surface of the cloth looks like a calm pond, not a mirror. A perfectly even sheen, or a hard glitter, suggests the cloth has been blended with viscose or polyester.
- 02.
The ring test
A genuine pashmina shawl, two-by-one metres, should pass cleanly through a wedding ring. The test depends on the size of your finger, but a good shawl will surprise you with how small it folds.
- 03.
The burn test
Pull a single fibre from the fringe. Burn it with a match. Pashmina, being pure animal protein, smells of burnt hair and turns to a brittle black ash that crushes to powder. Polyester smells of melted plastic and forms a hard bead.
- 04.
The static test
Rub a small section briskly against your forearm. Pashmina, being a natural fibre, will not generate visible static. Synthetic blends will cling and crackle.
- 05.
The weave
Hold the cloth up to a window. A handwoven shawl will show small irregularities along the warp — tiny variations in the thread count, the occasional knot, the human hand at work. A power-loom shawl is mechanically perfect and that is the giveaway.
Common confusions
A few words on what other words mean
- Cashmere
- A category. All pashmina is cashmere; not all cashmere is pashmina. Pashmina is the very fine, very short under-coat of the specific Changthangi goat. Other cashmeres come from other goats in other places.
- Pashmina blend
- A cloth in which pashmina is mixed with silk, wool, or another fibre. Often described as 70/30. A legitimate textile; just not a pure pashmina.
- Pashmina silk
- Usually a 70 pashmina / 30 silk blend, used to give a slight sheen and extra drape. Common in mid-priced shawls. We do not sell these except by special commission, and we always label them as a blend.
- Viscose pashmina
- A misnomer. Viscose is not pashmina; it is a synthetic. If a shawl described as pashmina costs less than a small dinner, this is almost certainly what it is.
Our promise on every piece.
If, after delivery, any independent laboratory finds the cloth to be other than what we have described in the ledger, we will refund the full price and arrange the return at our expense. We have not yet had to. We do not expect to.