AL Sheikh Traders

Cashmere Shawls are high-fashion garments in Europe and Other overseas countries from years. Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, and sometimes known as Pashmina wool, is fine in texture, and it is also strong, light, soft and extremely warm to wear. The original undyed or natural colors of cashmere pashmina wool are various shades of grey, brown and white.

The shawls made in Kashmir occupy a pre-eminent place among textile products. The Cashmere shawl is characterized by its soft fibers & the elaboration of its design, in which the "cone" pattern is a prominent feature, and by the glowing harmony, brilliance, depth, and enduring qualities of its colours. The basis of these excellences is found in the very fine, soft, short, flossy under-wool, called pashm or pashmina, found on the shawl-goat, a variety of Capra hircus.

Apart from shape and pattern, there are only two main types:
(I) loomwoven shawls :called tiliwalla, tilikar or kani kar - sometimes woven in one piece, but more often in small segments which are. sewn together with such precision that the sewing is quite imperceptible.
(2) embroidered shawls:amlikar - in which over a ground of plain pashmina is worked by needle a minute and elaborate beautiful patterns.

Source of the fibre :
Cashmere or Pashmina wool fiber for clothing and other textile articles is obtained from the Cashmere domestic goat. The goat (Capra hircus laniger) is a mammal belonging to the subfamily Caprinae of the family Bovidae. The goats produce a double fleece consisting of the fine, soft undercoat or underdown of hair mingled with a straighter and much coarser outer coating of hair called guard hair. In order for the fine under down to be sold and processed further, it must first be de-haired. De-hairing is a mechanical process that separates the coarse hairs from the fine hair and after de-hairing the resulting "cashmere" is ready to be dyed and converted into yarn, fabrics and garments.

Cashmere or pashmina are available in pure form or as blends with silk (silk cashmere), linen (linen cashmere), or just about anything possible.The key is to buy from reliable sources, who can can be trusted on their statements about the content and composition of the cashmere like kashmir Mart.

Cashmere Products :
Pashmina Shawls, Pashmina Stoles, Cashmere Scarves, Wrap, Throw and Knitted Cashmere products. Cashmere accessories are available in a range of sizes, from "scarf" (12" x 60") to "wrap" or "stole" (28" x 80") to full sized shawl (36" x 80"). 

In India, Kashmir is the only region where walnut trees grows . Walnut is a soft wood, so craftsmen do fine carving on walnut wood Carving is the demonstration of the carver's skill, and walnut take it very well, being one of the strongest varieties of wood.

There are two types of walnut trees - one is the fruit bearing tree whose wood is well known, and the other which bears no fruits, is locally known as 'zangul'. Zangul is less strong & has none of the beauty of walnut .

Chinar leaves, vine leaves and flowers like lotus & roses are some of the popular designs, which can be either carved along borders or can fill entire surfaces. The artistry of the carving and its abundance dictates the cost. The ranges of furniture can be from simple bed side table to a dining table or a double bed

Wood-carving is one of the most popular cottage industries of the Kashmir valley.
The Kashmiri specialty of woodcarving is Khatam-band which has the geometrical patterns on the ceilings of rooms. wood carvings beautifully done on the cabinets, chairs, tables, jewelry boxes and ornamental caskets produced in Kashmir. Wood carving is also done on a large scale on the doors, walls and windows of traditional Kashmiri houses.??