The Journal
Guides to buying, recognising and caring for Kashmiri silk carpets, Pashmina and heirloom crafts — written with the artisans who make them.
Why one Kashmiri silk carpet costs five times another of the same size: knot density, silk on silk vs silk on cotton, design intricacy, size, colours and time. An honest guide to price.
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Kashmiri and Persian carpets share a lineage but differ in material, knot density, design density and price. A clear comparison for buyers choosing between the two.
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The two grades of Kashmiri silk carpet compared: knot density, sheen, durability, feel, best rooms and price — and how to tell which one you are looking at.
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Seven practical checks to tell a real hand-knotted Kashmiri silk carpet from a machine-made or art-silk imitation — the back, the fringe, knot count, silk, GI tag and price.
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The making of a hand-knotted Kashmiri silk carpet, step by step: designing the naqsha, writing the talim code, dyeing the silk, dressing the loom, knotting, clipping, washing and finishing.
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A room-by-room guide to carpet sizes: living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, halls and walls — with the rules designers use, and why a made-to-measure Kashmiri carpet solves the problem entirely.
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What genuine Kashmiri Pashmina is, where it comes from, and how to tell it from blends and imitations — feel, weave, warmth, the ring test myth and the GI tag.
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Pashmina and cashmere both come from goats, but they are not the same. Fibre fineness, origin, hand-spinning, GI certification and price — the real differences explained.
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The three great decorative traditions of the Kashmir shawl compared — Sozni needlework, Tilla gold thread and the Kani loom-woven pattern — with time, look, occasion and price for each.
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How to choose a Pashmina as a wedding gift, for a bride's trousseau or as favours for guests — embroidery, colour, monograms, timelines and quantities, from the atelier in Kashmir.
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A guide to Kashmiri papier-mâché — the two stages of sakhtsazi and naqashi, the classic designs from Hazaar Posh to Chinar and Mughal darbar, and how to spot genuine hand-painted work.
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Why Kashmiri walnut is prized, the carving styles (fine, deep, lattice, undercut), how to judge quality, what to commission, and how to care for hand-carved walnut furniture.
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The samawaar, Kashmir's copper tea urn: its Central Asian origins, how the charcoal chamber works, the kahwa and noon chai brewed in it, Naqashi engraving, and choosing copper or silver-coated.
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The finest gifts Kashmir makes, by occasion and budget: Pashmina, papier-mâché, engraved copperware, walnut boxes and silk carpets — with personalisation, presentation and lead times.
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Practical care for heirloom textiles: placing, rotating, cleaning and storing a hand-knotted silk carpet, and washing, folding and protecting a Pashmina shawl.
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