Difference between revisions of "Cashmere"

From CAMEO
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 1: Line 1:
[[File:45.540-P-12-27.jpg|thumb|]]
+
[[File:59.428-C44172CR-d1.jpg|thumb|]]
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
  
 
The fine, downy undercoat obtained from the Kashmir goat, ''Capra hireus'', native to India and Tibet. By the 19th century, shawls made from cashmere were very popular in Europe and Great Britain. Cashmere wool is naturally a white, gray or tan color. The goats molt each spring and the hair is collected, sorted into the coarser outer hair and the soft downy undercoat. Because each goat only produces about 4 ounces of undercoat each year, it is very expensive. Cashmere fibers are silky and fine with moderate strength and good resiliency. They are used for high quality clothing, shawls, gloves, and sweaters.
 
The fine, downy undercoat obtained from the Kashmir goat, ''Capra hireus'', native to India and Tibet. By the 19th century, shawls made from cashmere were very popular in Europe and Great Britain. Cashmere wool is naturally a white, gray or tan color. The goats molt each spring and the hair is collected, sorted into the coarser outer hair and the soft downy undercoat. Because each goat only produces about 4 ounces of undercoat each year, it is very expensive. Cashmere fibers are silky and fine with moderate strength and good resiliency. They are used for high quality clothing, shawls, gloves, and sweaters.
  
[[File:59.428-C44172CR-d1.jpg|thumb|]]
+
 
 
== Synonyms and Related Terms ==
 
== Synonyms and Related Terms ==
  
 
kashmir; tus (India); Kaschmirwolle (Deut.); cachemire (Fr.); casimir (Esp.); cachemira (Esp.); kasjmier (wol van de kasjmier geit) of cashemire (Ned); pashmina; pashm;
 
kashmir; tus (India); Kaschmirwolle (Deut.); cachemire (Fr.); casimir (Esp.); cachemira (Esp.); kasjmier (wol van de kasjmier geit) of cashemire (Ned); pashmina; pashm;
 +
[[File:image3_cashmere.jpg|thumb|Kasmire goat]]
 +
== Physical and Chemical Properties ==
  
== Other Properties ==
+
* Fiber cross section is circular or oval with nearly invisible medulla
 
+
  Fiber length = 5.0-12.5 cm (outer);  2.5-9.0 cm (undercoat)   
Fiber cross section is circular or oval.  The medulla is nearly invisibleFiber length = 5.0-12.5 cm (outer);  2.5-9.0 cm (undercoat)  Diameter of undercoat is about 15 micrometers. 5-7 scales per 100 micrometers
+
* Diameter of undercoat is about 15 micrometers. 5-7 scales per 100 micrometers
  
 
== Hazards and Safety ==
 
== Hazards and Safety ==
Line 17: Line 19:
 
Damaged by alkalis.
 
Damaged by alkalis.
  
[[File:image3_cashmere.jpg|thumb|Kasmire goat]]
 
 
== Additional Information ==
 
== Additional Information ==
  

Revision as of 13:00, 19 June 2020

59.428-C44172CR-d1.jpg

Description

The fine, downy undercoat obtained from the Kashmir goat, Capra hireus, native to India and Tibet. By the 19th century, shawls made from cashmere were very popular in Europe and Great Britain. Cashmere wool is naturally a white, gray or tan color. The goats molt each spring and the hair is collected, sorted into the coarser outer hair and the soft downy undercoat. Because each goat only produces about 4 ounces of undercoat each year, it is very expensive. Cashmere fibers are silky and fine with moderate strength and good resiliency. They are used for high quality clothing, shawls, gloves, and sweaters.


Synonyms and Related Terms

kashmir; tus (India); Kaschmirwolle (Deut.); cachemire (Fr.); casimir (Esp.); cachemira (Esp.); kasjmier (wol van de kasjmier geit) of cashemire (Ned); pashmina; pashm;

Kasmire goat

Physical and Chemical Properties

  • Fiber cross section is circular or oval with nearly invisible medulla
 Fiber length = 5.0-12.5 cm (outer);  2.5-9.0 cm (undercoat)  
  • Diameter of undercoat is about 15 micrometers. 5-7 scales per 100 micrometers

Hazards and Safety

Damaged by alkalis.

Additional Information

° G.Cook, Handbook of Textile Fibres:I. Natural Fibres, 5th edition, Merrow Publishing Co., Durham, England, 1984.

Comparisons

Properties of Natural Fibers

Additional Images


Sources Checked for Data in Record

  • Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990
  • Rosalie Rosso King, Textile Identification, Conservation, and Preservation, Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1985
  • Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937
  • G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 154
  • Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
  • The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

Retrieved from "https://cameo.mfa.org/index.php?title=Cashmere&oldid=70955"