Friday, December 12, 2008

A Black Cashmere Sweater Makes for a Nice Gift

By Travis Killian

A black cashmere sweater is a wonderful gift to give anyone. Like a fine crystal, a cashmere sweater is always appreciated and can be given with pride and confidence that the gift will be greatly appreciated. It makes for both a gift that can be given when you are doubtful about what gift to give and when you want something special to give someone to cherish forever.

If you have ever worn a cashmere sweater, then you know how luxurious that it feels to have this fine fabric against your skin. A black cashmere sweater will amplify this feeling because of its high level of sophistication and classiness that it suggests. Everyone else will appreciate the value of your sweater and recognize it when you wear it around.

The value of the cashmere sweater not only can be limited to just the price tag, but you can also appreciate the work involved in making fine cashmere. From extracting the fur from the Himalayan goats to weaving it into a final product to be worn, a person will feel blessed to wear cashmere.

At first, the cashmere sweaters that became popular originated from the wool that came from goats in the province of Kashmir. Now, however, we get most of our supply from China. What makes this material so great is the fact that it is one of nature's beauty. From the works of the goat's diet, their environment conditions and their evolution, nature has created a work of art in cashmere.

Pure cashmere is taken directly from the underbelly of goats in the spring when they shed their hair. You can only get 150 grams of this hair from each goat. The wool gathered from these parts is the softest wool in nature. Yes, it is remarkably softer than sheep wool. The fibers are much shorter, making it harder to weave into a fabric. The finest of this wool comes from the white goats, which are dyed to create the elegant and beautiful black cashmere sweaters.

The outstanding qualities of the cashmere sweater fabric plus its relative rarity have combined to make the black cashmere sweater a true thing of value. The rich and famous know that. It is said that the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte was so smitten with a liking for cashmere fabrics that she prevailed upon the Emperor to obtain for her no less than seventeen cashmere shawls.

When you give your gift of a black cashmere sweater, it may help for you to furnish a brief historical note about the origins of the cashmere sweater. The historical perspective may engender more appreciation from your recipient.

But when they wear your gift, they cannot help but notice the way the sweater sets off the colors of the clothes they wear with it. The blacks will reach the full fruition of their elegance and the other colors will burst into more vivid clarity when they hang in contrast to the lush exquisiteness of the black cashmere sweater. - 17943

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