Saturday, July 3, 2010

How do I determine a good quality cashmere?

cashmere sweater for men


cashmere sweater for men

Cashmere is sheared or removed from goats with the softest and finest coats from the underbellies and throats. Many breeders of the goats only have a stock of registered or purebred goat to guarantee only quality cashmere is naturally produced by the goat.



The environment the goat resides determines the quality of the cashmere. The quality of the goat is often unknown so this factor makes knowing the true quality of the cashmere produced. Even with a purebred or registered goat, there are not any guarantees the goat will produce a high quality fiber for the cashmere.
Many breeders will hand select individual goats with a superior coat quality for the production of their materials. This practice removes the lower quality goats from production and onto the meat markets. It is the personal judgment of the breeders that technically selects the quality of the cashmere leaving many manufacturers relying on the standards of the qualified and experience breeders.

A cashmere goat is characterized as a goat that produces a fine undercoat of any length and color down less than 19 microns in diameter, crimped instead of straight, not hollow and is minimal in a luster appearance. The hair should have a clear distinction between the coarse outer hair and the fine undergrowth.
The colors of the fibers range from white to deep brown with numerous colors being grey in color. Any fiber length is acceptable if the length is over 30 mm after sheared. Since shearing automatically reduces the length of the hairs by about ¼ inch, it is not only important to have a quality hair fiber but also an experienced shearer.

Many consumers that are avid cashmere enthusiasts have personal methods to determine the quality of the cashmere from inspecting the fabric for crimped hairs, to finer hairs within the fabrics. This is the same technique used by cashmere fiber inspectors with many years of experience.
With all of the technical methods of determining the quality of the fibers in the cashmere, many people have learned to trust the manufacturers for higher quality cashmere. Many manufacturers have proven to be trustworthy regarding the quality of the cashmere, which removes the concerns and doubts of the faithful consumers.

From the avid cashmere enthusiast to the newcomer, the best method to knowing the quality of the cashmere is the touch test. If the fabric appears to be soft to the touch and is without blemishes or natural defects, then generally the cashmere is considered to be a high quality and very satisfactory.
Another simple test of quality is to sample the garment for smoothness, and feeling of luxuriousness. The other major factor is the weight and density of the fabric needs to be light and airy. Stretch the garment to verify the garment “snaps” back to the original shape. Quality cashmere will be dense, airy, lightweight, soft, smooth, and naturally elasticity in manner.
If after inspecting the garment and you do not find it to have all of these quality, do not purchase it. You will be wasting your money on a cashmere garment that is not a high quality and will not last as long as other finer quality garments.

Articles from: www.mencashmeresweater.com

cashmere sweater for men

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