Pashmina comes from Persian word
pashmina, meaning "made from
wool". It is also known as
'Cashmere'.
Pashmina wool is produced only by
a special mountain breeds of goat
known as Capra hircus. The wool
used in a Kashmiri pashmina shawl
is sourced from the changthangi
breed of goat.
In spring, the goats naturally shed
their undercoat, which regrows in
winter. This undercoat is collected
by combing and not by shearing
them.
The exorbitant price of a real
Pashmina shawl is due to the
amount of expert craftsmanship
and the rarity of the pashmina wool
that goes into creating each shawl.