My husband brought a Shahtoosh home from India, back in the 60s. It is as fine as a cobweb, and ridiculously warm.
Here is what Wikipedia says:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahtoosh

I bought one in Venice in one of the shops around San Marco. It's a beautiful burnt orange color, which works quite well with my red hair.

Not pashima but Ring shawls were famous in Ireland for years. One was given this as a special present.

It was often given by a groom to his bride as a present on their wedding day. It was passed through her new wedding ring for good luck

What a great wedding legend! Thanks, everyone. I must admit I brought home many shawls of different types and qualities from trips to India but the embroidered ones (not pashmina, just fine wool), have rested, largely undisturbed, on my closet shelves for more years than I care to divulge!

The generic term used in India for what is called 'Pashmina' everywhere is 'shawl'. So when you leave the house in the winters you just check if you taken your 'shawl' along. Casual ones are made of just wool or mixed fabrics. More formal ones are made of Pashmina wools (even these are called pashmina shawls and not just pashmina and come from Kashmir)and are embriodered on the borders or all over. The warmest and lightest are the Shatooshes which are able to pass through a ring. These are now illegal. If any of you is going to India I will happy to give you the details of my 'shawl guy' in Delhi. :-)

Deepa Can you pass the details. I am going back for work hopefulliy in a few months and Delhi is on my agenda. Thanks S

Sorry for the delayed response Siobhan but have been busy packing for my holiday. I leave today. Send me an email at [email protected] and I will send you the details which I will get from my mum in India. It maytake me a few weeks to respond though. Hope you are not going before AUgust.

Siobhan, IMO, the mother load for pashmina and other fine quality shawls in Dehli is Ahujasons. Very well known and respected in India and elsewhere. Located in a virtually non-touristed part of New Delhi called Karol Bagh full of shops. Be prepared to spend some time looking at their myriad selection and bargaining.

Ahujasons Sahwlwale Pvt Ltd
6/444, W.E.A., Ajmal Khan Road
Karol Bagh, New Delhi
Phone :91-11-25720304
Fax :91-11-25757149

Also, for fixed price but a bit lower quality, try the wonderful handicrafts emporium near Connaught Place. they have lots of other stuff like souvenirs and great table linens and ridiculously low prices.

Central Cottage Industries Emporium
Jawahar Vyapar Bhawan
Janpath, New Delhi
Tel. : 23725035
Fax : 91-11-3328354

A friend recently asked me to buy her a shawl from Venice. I think she might have meant a Pashmina, not a knitted shawl as I was thinking. She said she saw them in a store the last time she was there and there were shelves and shelves of every colour. The store near San Marco could be the place I need to go. Any suggestions as to where it is or what it is called?

In Venice if you're facing the basilica, the shop is on the right side almost to the end. They have every price range and color.

sorry, it's almost to the end closest to the basilica, on the right

The pashmina was mentioned quite a few times a few weeks ago.......I know it is an article of clothing, however I got the impression that people often took them on the overnight flights to keep warm on the plane.(like a nice clean lightweight blanket!)
Sounds pretty multipurpose to me, lightweight, and even used when NOT flying (in order to keep warm).
Would they HAVE to be cashmere or cashmere blend........?

the shop I'm describing does. Mine is 100% cashmere and is quite large.

I misread your comment. I thought you were asking if the shop would have cashmere, not would it have to be cashmere. It may not be an authentic pashmina if it's not cashmere, I'm not sure. Just get whatever blend you like and don't worry about it.

Missypie, you are so hilarious! And yet so resourceful!

My boss got me a beautiful bright blue pashmina scarf, which I must admit is warm, but it is a real bright blue. Not to be ungrateful, but I have used it as a table runner (and thought I was the only one). The stark color against my white tablecloth is stunning! :D

Well
I have been a fashion designer for a few years now and I can tell you that the Real Pashminas are not the ones that are sold on the street.
Those are nice but are not real.
The real pashmina is very expensive they can cost hundreds of dollars because of the materials and the hand loom.
I love the way they feel and they are just wonderful.
They can be worn in many ways!
Just have fun with it.
I also design shawls in other wonderful materials if anyone is interested in finding out more about that!

A lot of people call rayon scarves/shawls pashminas, but they aren't. Those are the cheap kind you find sold on street corners in many large cities for 5-10 euro or so. They aren't pashmina, which does have to be cashmere (or very fine wool from some Himalyana goat) to really be that. They are just large rayon scarves, or some might have some silk in them. Not the kind you find sold on street corners, though, I think those are always rayon.

If you just want something warm on a flight, it doesn't matter, and a cheap one is fine.

But what you like.
Pure pashmina is a rather gauzy, open weave, as the wool cannot tolerate high tension. The most popular pashmina fabric is a 70% pashmina/30% silk blend, but 50/50 is also common. The 70/30 is tightly woven, has an elegant sheen and drapes nicely, but is still quite soft and light-weight.
I have one that is made by Loro Piano but it is not shatooz and slides through a ring.

Rats! I just put a bid on one on Ebay, but it is 90/10. The price and color are right, but if I get outbid, Ill try for a 70/30.

does anyone know what SETA is? Mine shows 45% SETA and 55% cashmere.