Jamawar, Wool, Paisley, Shawl. The Return of a Classic

Jamavar Shawl

The Return Of A Classic

From Heritage Trading Company

Paisley, jamavar shawls—originally from India and later also produced in the West—were popular accessories for European and American ladies in the 19th Century.  In the 21st Century we're discovering them all over again.

For information about India shawls, please see the Definitions and Comments at the end of our listing.

This shawl is a dramatic example of a jamavar weaving technique in which the complex design is created using supplemental warp and weft threads.  The large, solid color blocks of the shawl are rather loosely woven.  Extra threads are woven into the shawl at the patterned areas only.  These supplemental threads do not extend beyond the edges of the intricate motifs.

J09-JM-126

Outstanding Quality

Please see our feedback for comments like these on our jamavar shawls:

Jan-26-05  Praise :  MUSEUM QUALITY (AS IN EXHIBIT, NOT GIFT SHOP) - I'M A REPEAT BUYER

May-06-05  Praise : Mom loved it. The aunties were jealous. It was beautiful.

Jul-1-05  Praise : EXQUISITE is inadequate but close! I will definitely be back for more. Thanks!

Oct-16-05  Praise :  I can’t find this kind of quality or service anywhere else. Bid with confidence!

May-24-06  Praise :  Absolutely fabulous workmanship on this shawl! Heirloom quality! Fast delivery !

Feb-06-07  Praise : I love this shawl so much, my sister and I argue who gets to wear it. Gorgeous!!

Apr-16-07  Praise : The elegance and delicacy of this shawl is breath-taking! Brings me to tears!

Sep-05-07  Praise : The BEST seller on ebay - thank you!! AAAAAAAAAA++++++++++++

Oct-18-07  Praise : BEST PASHMINA JAMAVAR ON NET!!!  I LOVE THIS COMPANY, CUSTOMER FOR LIFE!!!!!!!

Jan-05-08  Praise : Magnifique produit, excellents services et communication: adresse recommandée

Jan-01-09  Praise : Top grade! Would have to pay well over $200 for similar shawl in Switzerland!

Apr-10-09  Praise : Exquisite shawl! Everyone I know who has a HeritageTrading shawl loves them. A++

May-24-09  Praise : Item arrived & was just amazing! A terrific item from this seller.

Jun-29-09  Praise : Just beautiful!!! Finest quality - quick ship... Couldn't be more pleased AAA+

Aug-06-09  Praise : VERY fast shipping and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these shawls - this is my 2nd

POUR NOS AMIS QUI PARLENT FRANÇAIS (For our French-speaking friends): Châle ou écharpe en laine. Nouveau. Fabriqué en Inde.  (Méthodes de paiement: Nous acceptons les cartes de crédit sur Paypal et les chèques personnels en U.S. dollars.)

Gift Wrap Pouch
Made of sari fabric.  It's easy, beautiful, and reusable.  For any Heritage Trading shawl.
Only $3.99
Click here for details.

Truth In Advertising:  Some Definitions & Some Comments About India Shawls

FIRST, THE DEFINITIONS

Jamavar Shawls

     (Also spelled jamawar, jamavaar, jhamevar)

     The jamavar technique of weaving intricate, Persian-inspired motifs was brought to the Kashmir region of India in the 15^th Century under the patronage of one of the kingdom's most admired rulers, Zain-ul-Abdin.  Patterns in these early jamavars were created by using weft threads of various colors that did not run the full width of the fabric.  Rather, they were woven back and forth in small areas to create the desired, tiny color blocks.  These jamavars became fashionable with European aristocracy in the 18^th Century.  Because of the costly weaving technique, the patterns often covered just the edges and ends of the shawls.   Even so, only the wealthiest people could afford them.  The invention of the jacquard loom in the 19^th Century meant that shawls with the traditional jamavar designs could be produced cost-effectively for a much larger market.  And the motifs began to cover larger portions of the shawls.

     Today the term “jamavar” usually refers to shawls with intricately woven, Persian/Mughal-inspired patterns.  (It rarely refers to the original weaving technique.)  Some modern jamavars simulate earlier weaving traditions by using supplemental warp and/or weft threads, which extend across only a portion of the fabric, to create complex, multicolored designs on some areas of the shawl, while leaving large, solid color blocks in other areas.

Pashm*na  (In accordance with Ebay rules, we can't spell out this word, lest our auction appear in a search for articles made of that material.  But we think you'll figure out our message anyway.)

     NOT a generic term for any shawl from India, “p*shmina” refers to a very specific and very costly material.  "Pashm*na" is the inner coat wool of a particular Himalayan goat (Capra hircus).  Articles made from "p*shmina" are very expensive, even when purchased in India directly from a manufacturer’s agent.  Less expensive are blends of "p*shmina" with other materials such as wool or rayon.

     In our experience, it is not possible to make a wholesale purchase of 80 inch by 28 inch, jamavar, 70% "p*shmina" blend shawls from a manufacturer’s agent in India for less than $50 (US currency) apiece.  It is also not possible to circumvent the agents and buy directly from the manufacturers—we tried.

C*shmere

     Also NOT a generic name for shawls from India, “c*shmere” is another name for "p*shmina".  Some people prefer to use the term “cashm*re” to refer to the larger diameter fibers (15-19 microns) and reserve the term “pashm*na” for the finer grade (11-14 microns).

Kashmir

     A region of Northwest India.  Not "c*shmere" fabric.

Kashmiri

     The adjective meaning that something is “of Kashmir.”  It can mean any shawl from Kashmir or designed in the tradition of Kashmir.  It does not mean "c*shmere" material.  The term is often used to refer to certain types of embroidery.  In one popular type of Kashmiri hand-embroidery, the pattern is made from many tiny, straight stitches.  Chain stitch is another traditional style.  (Heritage Trading sells some shawls with Kashmiri embroidery.)  Because of Kashmir’s current political instability, much Kashmiri embroidery is now done outside that state. 

Viscose

     Rayon.  Viscose is the word much of the world uses to refer to what Americans call rayon.  Read the fine print on shawl auctions.  Some shawls described as "pashm*na" in the title are revealed to be 100% viscose in the small-font part of the description.

THE COMMENTS:  TRUTH IN ADVERTISING 

     India does not have the strict truth-in-advertising laws that are found in the United States and elsewhere.  Consequently, some Indian manufacturers will label their shawls as "p*shmina" or "c*shmere," even though they are, in reality, sheep’s wool or even synthetic.  In fact, we told our Indian supplier to remove the labels sewn into a recent shipment of woolen shawls, inaccurately describing them as "pashm*na".

     At Heritage Trading, we try to be clear and accurate in our ebay descriptions.  We do not, at present, sell "p*shmina" or "cashm*re" shawls.  We DO sell beautiful shawls with jamavar (i.e., intricately woven patterns) made of sheep’s wool.  We also sell some wool-like, synthetic shawls, which are clearly described as synthetic in our listings.  And we sell some blended fabrics, which are also fully described.

     We encourage similar clarity and accuracy from all sellers.

Thanks for reading this.  We wanted you to know.