Pashmina Ring Shawl – 90x200cm – 100% Cashmere – Rhododendron

This deep red pashmina takes its colour from the darkest rhododendron blooms: a rich crimson that leans cool, towards wine. In very fine, unbrushed cashmere the red stays deep and even across the cloth, and it looks particularly good against black, navy or a camel coat.

It is woven from single-ply, 60-count pure cashmere in a simple box weave. The yarn is so fine that about 60 metres weigh one gram, and the finished cloth is fine enough to pass through a ring. Our cashmere comes from Inner Mongolia, with long fibres of 14–16 microns, and we test random samples regularly. At 90 × 200 cm, worn open it covers the back and arms; folded, it makes a warm scarf for a cold morning. Hand-twisted tassels finish both ends.

Anne, who bought this colour, found it had “a good width and long length to enable many variations of draping”, and describes the shade as “a deep red with a hint of purple, similar to beetroot”. Paula thought the deep, rich red was just right. A few buyers of other colours found the shade differed from the photo; Anne’s description is a useful guide, and the swatchbook will settle it.