Zari Kani Kashmiri Pashmina Shawl — Ivory Meadow

A Zari Kani pashmina shawl on a pale ivory ground, handwoven in Kashmir with a dense scattered field of small flowers in rose, teal, olive and violet, framed by a deep slate-grey border on all four sides and finished with a fringed pelmet band at each end.

Kani is the oldest and slowest of Kashmir's shawl techniques. The pattern isn't printed or embroidered onto the cloth — it is built into the weave itself, colour by colour, using small wooden bobbins called kanis. The weaver follows a coded pattern script and may complete only an inch or two in a day, which is why a piece like this is measured in months of work rather than hours.

Zari is what makes this piece the most demanding of all. Alongside the coloured pashmina threads, the weaver carries metallic zari — a thread with a fine metal wrap around a silk core. It behaves nothing like wool: it is stiffer, less forgiving, and it will not sit flat unless the tension is exactly right. Get it wrong and the metal shows as a hard line through soft cloth. Get it right, as here, and the whole field lifts under light while staying soft enough to wear.

On ivory the zari does something different than it does on a dark ground: instead of glinting against colour, it warms the whole cloth from within, so the shawl reads as light rather than ornate. It is the version of this weave for a daytime wedding, or for someone who wants the work without the drama.

Details

• Kashmiri pashmina with gold zari thread
• Kani handwoven on the loom, not embroidered or printed
• Dense scattered floral field with a deep border on all four sides and fringed end bands
• Approx. 42" × 80"
• Dry clean only — zari should never be pressed directly
• Handwoven in Kashmir

Each shawl is one of a kind. Slight irregularity in the weave is inherent to handloom work and is the mark of an authentic Kani piece.

Ships in Attan's branded box with a thank-you card, ready to gift.