Woolen Shawls

There are two fibers from which Kashmiri shawls are made – wool and pashmina. Wool woven in Kashmir is known as "raffel" and is 100% pure wool. Many kinds of embroidery are worked on these shawls. First, "Sozni" (Needlework) is generally done in panels along the sides of the shawl. Motifs, usually abstract designs or stylized paisleys and flowers are worked in one or two, occasionally three colors. The stitch employed in not unlike stem stitch, only the outline of the design is embroidered. Sozni is often done so skillfully that the motif appears on both sides, each having different colors. Second, "Papier-Mache" is either done in broad panels on either side of the breadth of a shawl, or covers entire surface of a stole. Flowers and leaves are worked in satin stitch in different colors and each motif is outlined in black. Third, “ari” (Crochet) work is also done on shawls.
While our woolen shawls may start as low as US$ 49, a Pashmina Jamawar will cost somewhere around US$ 1500 or more. Kaani Jamawars, in which the embroidery pattern results from weaving on a handloom, usually cost far more than embroidered Jamawars; usually in excess of US$ 4,000.