7 Ways to Check if Your Pashmina Wrap Dealer is Cheating on You!

You will find a pashmina wrap being sold all over the globe, but not all are made from authentic ‘pashm’. For the sake of making profit and successfully running a business, unscrupulous dealers are conning people worldwide. Therefore, to be sure of the originality and authenticity of your pashmina wraps, you need to ensure whether your retailer is offering you the genuine product or not.

Now, the question is – How?

There are some basic methods for differentiating original pashm from its feigned versions.

1. Weave-

Pashminas are hand woven. The fibres are so fine that if put in a weaving machine, the threads will tear and damage. Now, since most pashmina shawls are weaved upon handloom, the patterns will be a little disrupted and irregular. Hold it up and check if it is perfectly knit. If so, well, the seller has cheated you!

2. Shiny or matte?

This is actually easy. A genuine pashmina wrap will have a matte finish, although a little bit of glow is certified. So, hold your shawl towards the light and see if it is too glossy or shiny. In case it has a lot of sheen, well, you failed to choose the right pashmina fabric!

3. Dimension-

This is very important. Pashminas are available in various classes and categories. Their prices also vary according to their grades. So, check for the dimension to know if you are getting value for your money or not.

The higher the dimension, the loftier the price is expected to be. Hence, if someone is quoting lower prices for higher dimensions, they are surely cheating you. 36 inches by 8 inches is the standard size for a pashmina shawl and should not cost you around £4 or £5.

4. Pilling after use-

This is the easiest possible way to check the natural fibre of your pashmina shawl. 100% natural pashminas will start pilling after you bring it to use. This is actually normal. If you do not find cotton like substance pulling off your shawl, stole of scarf, it is not made from pure pashm. It is synthetic, wither polyester or viscose.

5. Rub it and know the truth-

Polyester or synthetic material when rubbed against each other creates static electricity out of friction; but this doesn’t happen in case of natural fibre. Therefore, to find if your seller has conned you, take your pashmina wrap and rub it against itself with both your hands.

If you can faintly hear the sound of friction, and dust particles, hair getting attracted towards it, it is certain not the pure pashmina.

6. Check for stickers or glued stuff-

It is not possible to stick anything to a pashmina with the help of glue. If a tag needs to be attached, it will be stitched on the edges. So, check the body of the shawl well to see if you find anything glued on it. If yes, well, your money has gone down the drain or may be the material has a large portion of synthetic fibre mixture.

These procedures are very effective in distinguishing a pure pashmina from the artificial one. However, there is a last test which is the ultimate pashmina checker and performed by most professional textile workmen. It is extremely risky; can cause you harm and spoil your entire shawl. So, it is advisable to try it only under someone’s guidance.

7. The burn test!

This is the toughest and the most effective one. Pull out one single strand from your pashmina wrap. Don’t worry; it wouldn’t ruin the design or texture. Just be very careful. Now, place the fibre on a ceramic or steel pot and light it. Let it fully burn down. If you observe high flames and a burnt leaf kind of odour, the seller has most likely cheated you. But, if there is an odour similar to that of hair burning, and the fibre burns down to fine powdery ashes, you possess an authentic one!

Conning men are everywhere and they consider nothing apart from profit. However, there are also online sellers who offer 100% pure and pashmina scarves and wraps. Of course, there are different grades and categories, but none of them are artificial. So, be wise to invest in a cashmere scarf because pashminas are for a lifetime!

Author Bio: Alex Thomas is well known content writer. He has a lot of experience and has written many articles on the topic of Cashmere Scarf and Pashmina Wrap.

Source: http://www.articles.gappoo.com/2015-Article-Directory/7-ways-check-if-your-pashmina-wrap-dealer-cheating-you

Alex Thomas is well known content writer. He has a lot of experience and has written many articles on the topic of Bridal shawl and Pashmina Shawl.