quality. And as only the former type exhibit the high level of technical and design expertise expected from a Weaving Art Museum show, none of any other quality have been included.

This strict orientation might ignore an amazing detail or a facet of style seen in later and lesser shawl production. However, the finer foil thread and netted ground cloth, the larger areas of metal-work and overall larger size, the superior metal-working technique and designing are very difficult acts to follow. These characteristics are identifying hallmarks and they become very obvious when Asyute of different qualities are physically handled and compared.

Undoubtedly the most apparent is the rough and scratchy surface all other types of Asyute have. This is the result of several factors including the denser more heavily worked a shawl is, the easier it is for the hand to slide across its surface. Ones with sparse metal-work surrounded by large areas of netting always catch the hand on their edges as the metal-work is higher than the surrounding net, creating a surface not as even as the fully worked ones.

The commercially produced or export quality Asyute are far less expertly done with larger stitches of metal-work that adds to their rougher handle and surface.

Simpler designs and layout are the other easily noticed differences. These Asyute typically have a very basic look with rigid patterns placed within wide stripes, quite different from the complex and exciting patterns of those illustrated here. These masterpiece Asyute possess an unmistakably superior level of design mastery, just note how the striped layouts they also sometimes feature avoid the rigidity and stiffness present in lesser quality examples. Packed from border to border with a melange of familiar motif, these Asyute dazzle the eye : They are mosaics of shimmering silver.