On the shopping list of almost all foreign tourists who visit the India there are pashminas, a garment that also becomes a souvenir or an excellent gift. However, you have to be careful: as many fake pashminas are sold in the country as on the internet.
How can you tell the difference between fake and genuine pashmina shawls? The first thing is to know what pashmina is, a term derived from the Persian word for wool. On the Kashmir region Wool pashminas have been woven for more than four centuries. Before, this fine fabric was only available to the rich and aristocrats of India. Spolo they could wear this garment of the soft goat wool of the changra breed, which lives in the Himalayan peaks at more than 1.600 meters of altitude.
Pashmina wool is made only from the root of the longest hair of the goat. Each animal produces less than 100 grams of wool fiber per year. That fine wool is mixed with silk threads in different proportions, which determines the quality of the fabric, and then it is dyed in different colors.
Although these data are not enough for a non-expert to know if they are buying authentic pashmina or not, the real pashmina is unmistakable for its softness and lightness. Counterfeits substitute pure chagra wool for that of other sheep and even rabbit hair.
The most popular pashmina shawls are called Shahtoosh, so fine that they can pass through the inside of a ring. In this variety, the wool of chagra is replaced by that of chiru, a Tibetan antelope that lives in extreme cold conditions. Unfortunately, the sale of shastoosh is currently prohibited in India, although asking a bit in any market in the north of the country we can find shawls made with this type of fine wool. You just have to make sure they don't catch us at customs.