A beautiful Kalamkari shawl in a rainbow of rich colour combinations of red, peacock green, lilac, burnt orange and purple, hand-painted and then overworked by hand with real silk embroidery on baby-soft hand-loomed cashmere from the high plateau of Ladakh. Each pashmina is handled with great care and worked on by skilled individuals using traditional crafts and hand processes. Up to four artisans will have worked on this shawl at a time taking approximately two months to complete the work.

Kalamkari means the painting of fabric. 'Kalam' means pen or brush and 'kari' means work, together they form the word kalamkari which literally means 'the work of the pen'.

The raw pashmina wool for this piece was collected from herds in Ladakh in the Northern Himalayan Region. Temperatures here can reach minus 35 degrees during Winter in this cold desert region. The goats grow a fine long-haired undercoat that forms a natural heat-insulating shield against the cold. This fibre is light and warm with amazing insulating properties, the fibres are extremely fine varying between 9 - 16 microns. The cashmere chosen for this pashmina has been specially selected from the finest Grade 'A' fibres.

Once the pashmina is complete it is washed in the waters flowing down from the mountains, the natural minerals in the cold water help to enhance the surface of the cashmere. the pashminas are hung out to dry naturally and then steam pressed in a mechanical roller.

Accompanying your shawl is 'The Kashmir Shawl', a book that beautifully illustrates the 'landscape and lives' that contribute to the creation of these magnificent shawls, enriching your appreciation for this artisanal work.

Composition: Grade 'A' 100% Cashmere, originates from Ladakh

Size: 98 x  194 cm,  Weight: 280 gms

Made in India

Care: Needs to be professionally cleaned due to the embroidery, the hand painting is colourfast.