The first mentions of cashmere date back before our era. Cashmere is a type of wool, but not all wool is cashmere. Wool is harvested from sheep, and cashmere is collected from cashmere goats living at an altitude of 4 kilometres, where the air temperature drops to -35oC. Cashmere goats grown on the plateaus of Mongolia, China and Tibet yield the biggest amounts and the highest quality of wool. The severe environmental conditions of these areas have brought about adaptation of cashmere goat fur resulting in softer wool. Cashmere wool is the most coveted and most expensive natural fibres, obtained only once a year by combing the lower cashmere goat down by hand. The wool obtained in such a way has great elasticity, thinness, and silky gloss. Up to 200 grams of suitable wool is obtained from one goat per year. Only a few thousand tons of wool are obtained each year. This leaves no wonder why cashmere wool is so expensive.