A cashmere scarf is not only a means of protection from the cold. Of course, first of all, a stylish neck accessory is able to protect the throat from the common cold, but a nice bonus is that this fashionable, fashionable part of the wardrobe will add emphasis to the created image. If you decide to buy a cashmere scarf for yourself, your soulmate or your child - we will tell you about what cashmere is, what it is like and how not to run into a fake.
Softer than soft, warmer than warm
What can be warmer and softer than a cashmere scarf? Only the hug of a loved one. There is no softer fabric in the world than cashmere. Only a true connoisseur can distinguish an original from a fake. What is cashmere? Many people mistakenly believe that this is nothing but wool of the highest quality or superbly crafted wool.
In fact, true cashmere is the fluff of mountain goats, which is plucked or combed out without any machine tools manually. This painstaking work is carried out in the spring, after the winter colds are gone, and the animal no longer needs additional heating.
Cashmere is called "wool gold", and the ability to correctly and accurately pluck down fluff is passed down from generation to generation.
The main countries from which cashmere fluff is supplied are China and Mongolia, as well as Afghanistan, Iran and India. At the same time, the quality of Chinese and Mongolian raw materials is the highest, while cashmere from other mills is coarser, tougher and thicker. Accordingly, the price of such material is many times lower.
Facts in numbers
There have been several attempts to breed cashmere goats in other countries - Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. However, they were unsuccessful, because, due to the lack of the necessary climatic conditions, goat fluff lost its precious qualities.
By the way, with one goat you can get a maximum of 200 grams of gentle fluff per year, and in order to knit a cashmere scarf, you will need raw materials from two or three animals, which is 400-600 grams. A sweater will take 800-1200 grams of fluff, and a cardigan - 4 kilograms!
A gift for your beloved
In Europe, cashmere became known after the great emperor of France - Napoleon Bonaparte - brought from the East an unusually thin, soft and warm shawl for his beloved Josephine. Amazed by the magnificence and incredible tenderness of the product, Jazefina was delighted with the gift. With her light hand, cashmere began to be imported to France, and only very distinguished ladies could afford it. Several centuries have passed, but cashmere scarves, women's shawls and stoles made of delicate goat fluff still remain a peculiar symbol of luxury and style.
Quality difference
There are two types of cashmere fabric - pashmina, and, in fact, cashmere itself.
Pashmina is fluff of the highest quality. At the same time, the thickness of the fluff barely reaches 15 microns - that is, it is several times thinner than a child’s hair. Pashmina is made of the lightest, weightless, openwork shawls and stoles, the price of which cannot be lower than 5000-7000 rubles. Beautiful pashmina scarves and shawls with ornate, elaborate patterns can be sold for an amount equal to one average wage.
Cashmere (or half-meat) is usually slightly denser - the thickness of the fluff is 19 microns. A half-cashmere cashmere scarf may well cost 2000-3000 rubles, depending on the length and width of the product.
Color as a sign of originality
Products from real cashmere cannot be bright, flashy colors. They are usually white, gray, brown or black. At the same time, a scarf (for children or adults - it does not matter), which is white, is much higher in quality than black products. The thing is that white fluff is the most delicate, black fluff is somewhat coarser, and raw materials are cheaper.
Real cashmere is very difficult to color. This is due to the fact that even the most intense and persistent dye does not interact well with fluff, as a result of which the cashmere fabric becomes faded or simply smoky.
Unscrupulous sellers often sell vibrant products, passing them off as natural cashmere. As a rule, acrylic, polyester or wool threads are added to such products. The above materials are beautifully painted, and inexperienced buyers, buying on the convictions of the seller, purchase men's "cashmere" scarves, shawls or "pashmina" sweaters, that is, fakes, at fairly high prices.
Silk to the rescue!
Popular manufacturers add silk thread to a pashmina or cashmere fabric. Thus, increased wear resistance of products is achieved, whether it be men's cashmere scarves or any other things from this material. In addition, the addition of silk refreshes the color of natural fluff, making it more attractive to customers.
It is easy to identify silk threads in a cashmere product - it is enough to carefully consider the thing. The added silk is visible on thicker, cast threads. Prices for such products are more affordable, and high wear makes it possible to wear a scarf or shawl for more than one year. Especially if this scarf is for children. Cashmere in combination with silk will protect the child from winter cold for a long time, and parents will not have to buy a new thing for every season. On top of that, spools never appear on a cashmere scarf, which means that the thing will look fresh for many years.
And one more undoubted plus of cashmere - it is not scratchy, does not cause irritation, is absolutely hypoallergenic. Perfect for the baby!
Caution, fake!
An inexperienced buyer is sometimes very difficult to distinguish real cashmere from fake. It is worth considering the product carefully. Women's shawls and stoles (as well as men's cashmere scarves) have the finest (like a cobweb) interwoven threads that create the lightest haze over the entire surface of the product.
If the product is squeezed in the palm of your hand for 10 seconds, your hands will become very warm, even hot. You just don’t want to tear yourself away from the product! And this feeling will remain after the palm is unclenched. This is due to the fact that fluff perfectly not only gives, but also retains heat.
And of course, the color! As described above, a product from real cashmere simply cannot be bright. In addition, it cannot shine. If the product glitters, it means that silk has been added to it (this should be indicated on the label).
But what about the wool?
The wool of mountain cashmere goats is also used - products made of it are cheaper than downy ones and inferior in quality, but nevertheless loved by many people. Sweaters made of such wool do not cause itching, retain heat and serve for several years even after repeated washing.