The first down shawls were worn by the dzhigits from the Kyrgyz-Kaisak horde to protect themselves from the harsh Ural cold in the mountains. Only in Orenburg was it possible to combine practicality with high craftsmanship.

10 facts about the Orenburg shawl:

1. The "female" era of the shawl began in the 18th century when Ural Cossacks, familiar with lace and embroidery, started knitting lace shawls from down, which came to be called "webs." The craft emerged almost simultaneously with the founding of Orenburg.

2. The craft turned into an industry due to scientific considerations. Ethnographer Pyotr Ryichkov noted the healing properties of down and in 1766 proposed to organize a down knitting industry in the region.

3. The "world premiere" of the Orenburg shawl took place in the mid-19th century in Paris. In London, Orenburg Cossack Maria Uskova received a gold medal for shawls made from goat down.

4. The main secret of the Orenburg shawl is its unique down. It is the thinnest in the world, at 16 microns, while that of the famous Angora goats is 22-24 microns. The finest down comes from goats grazing in the mountainous steppes of the Urals.

5. Attempts to breed Orenburg goats in the 19th century in France, South America, and Australia were unsuccessful. The Volga goats lacked the toughness needed for the mild climate.

6. The down of Orenburg goats was a separate export item for the Russian Empire. France purchased tens of thousands of poods. In England, they even knitted shawls labeled "imitation under Orenburg."

7. In the Soviet Union, genuine Orenburg shawls became a museum rarity, almost impossible to buy. Until 1985, down knitters were registered, and their products were exported.

8. In 2013, the largest shawl measuring 3.6 by 3.6 meters was created at a factory in Orenburg, using 13.5 km of down yarn. The previous record stood for almost 90 years when regent Yermolai Fedorov from the village of Zheltoe manually knitted a shawl with a thousand stitches.

9. The famous half-shawls were gifted to Montserrat Caballé, Annie Girardot, Sean Young, Nadezhda Babkina, and Madonna. The most famous shawl warmed the shoulders of Lyudmila Zykina while performing the song "Orenburg Down Shawl."

10. The shawl can pass through a wedding ring and fit into a goose egg, but this is not a test of authenticity. We are talking about the famous web. Denser shawls from Orenburg cannot pass through a ring, but they are more valuable in the frost.