When you compare different types of pashmina you may wonder why is it some pashmina shawls go for $40 while others cost several hundred dollars? It has a lot to do with the type of cashmere used to make the shawl. The highest quality pashmina is made from the high quality cashmere material from the upper chest and throat area of the goat. This cashmere material come from the best cashmere production area in China and Mongolia which is very soft, but it's also quite delicate. It takes great care and time to weave or knitting, which raises the price of any product made from it.
Lower quality pashmina, on the other hand, is made from wool mixed with coarser wool from the belly and shoulders of cashmere goat. Being tougher, this wool is easier to work with, so it takes less effort to weave. This is still considered pure pashmina, though. The most important factor is that the pashmina not be mixed with sheep's wool, which is noticeably coarser, and of course the pashmina is no longer pure.