Thursday, December 11, 2008

Consider a Black Cashmere Sweater for the Perfect 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.

A cashmere sweater is something that you will immediately appreciate when you put it on. The luxurious, royal feeling that you receive is priceless, and it is rewarding to share this feeling with someone close. A black cashmere sweater can make this feeling even stronger for it gives off an ambiance of high sophistication and classiness. Everyone will recognize this and appreciate your black cashmere.

That value is not limited to the price tag alone, although the price by itself is already something to talk about. The value of a black cashmere sweater also derives from the difficulty of obtaining the wool and weaving that into the sweater that you see.

The cashmere sweaters that first became popular originated from wool that came from goats in the violence-torn province of Kashmir. Today, however, most of the supply comes from China. What makes them rare is the unique confluence of diet, terrain, and climatic conditions in the steppes that induced these goats to evolve into producers of the finest cashmere fibers.

Only the underdown from the breast and the underbelly of the goats are taken in springtime when they shed their hair. You can get only 150 grams of underdown from each goat, but wool from these parts are the softest. Goat wool is not like sheep wool. The fibers are shorter. This makes it harder to weave the wool into fabrics and garments. The finest wool comes from white goats, and these are subsequently dyed to produce the elegant 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.

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