WEAVE GONE SOFT : Cashmere comes from Himalayan goats, and O.C. is a long way from Inner Mongolia and China. So why are the sweaters only $99? Get in touch.

Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, used to test the fineness of her cashmere shawls by drawing them through her wedding ring.

Today’s consumers tend to leave their rings on their fingers when choosing their cashmere, but they would do well to follow Empress Eugenie’s example and study the quality of the garments carefully before they buy.

The price of cashmere is up; sweaters can cost thousands of dollars. Yet this holiday season, department stores have been advertising cashmere turtlenecks and crews for $99--or less.

Can this be the same stuff that Mongolian emperors coveted in the 15th century? The same precious fiber carefully gleaned from the underside of a goat? For consumers, the answer has as many twists as a cashmere cable knit.

Price is often an accurate but not foolproof indicator of quality. Mass retailers can sometimes cut better deals on cashmere sweaters because they buy in bulk, and they’re willing to sell the sweaters at a discount to draw shoppers into the store.

Buyers need to rely on their senses--not their wallets--to judge a garment.

Despite the difference in quality, cashmere sweaters come from the same source: Himalayan goats.

The fibers are combed or plucked by hand from the bellies and chin of the goats, which grow their downy fibers to protect themselves from harsh winters in Inner Mongolia and western China, where most of the world’s supply of cashmere originates.

The finest sweaters are made of only the highest grade of fiber, with less than 1% of the coarser guard hairs from the goats. Lesser-quality sweaters have more of the tougher fibers. That’s why the true test of a cashmere sweater is in the touch:

“You have to feel them. They’re supposed to be soft and light,” says Valerie Lu, manager of Cashmere Elite in Fashion Island Newport Beach.

How those fibers get woven into a sweater also affects the finished piece. Scotland enjoys a reputation for producing the best cashmere; the Scots have mastered the intricate weaving and cleaning process needed to turn goat hair into a glorious garment.

As a general rule, sweaters should be made of at least a two-ply yarn (two strands twisted together) because they’re thicker and sturdier than most single-ply fabrics. The more plies (four, six, eight . . ), the thicker the fabric.

To study a sweater’s density, hold it up to the light.

Other factors affect the garment’s durability, including size of the needles and stitch gauge. The smaller the gauge, the tighter the weave and denser the knit. A tightly woven sweater made up of just a single ply of the finest cashmere outranks a two-ply sweater of inferior-grade cashmere. Again, the proof is in the touch.

Cashmere consumers can also examine the garment’s construction by turning it inside out and studying the seams. The best sweaters are fully fashioned. Their seams are woven together into a single piece of knitwear (instead of separate pieces sewn together), so the garment is sturdier and drapes better.

Over time, whether or not one has chosen a high-quality sweater will become visible to the eye.

Poor-quality sweaters have a greater tendency to pill; tiny balls of lint form, says Galia Gukaylo, owner of the Knitwear Doctor in Costa Mesa, which alters and repairs cashmere garments.

That’s why paying more for a better sweater can be a better wardrobe investment in the long run.

“A very small piece of fine cashmere might cost several hundred dollars,” Gukaylo says.

It’s not just the fiber that determines cost; consumers also pay for style. Most inexpensive sweaters come in cookie-cutter styles, mostly turtlenecks and sweater sets. More adventurous looks from designers cost more.

“You do pay for the design,” says Julie Albert, owner of Savannah in Santa Monica, which sells fine cashmere by Malo Cividini, Lucien Pellat-Finet, Jil Sander and other designers. The designer garments range from $250 to $1,900.

Some designers create interesting textures with the soft yarns. Pellat-Finet produces pricey hand-loomed cashmere sweaters, often in classic styles with a twist such as this season’s cardigan with fringe.

N. Peal Cashmere, a mail-order catalog, offers a pink tie-front cardigan, fitted V-necks paired with short cashmere skirts and a drapey lemon-colored tunic as well as classic crews and turtlenecks [(800) 421-2713].

TSE in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa has experimented with a textured cashmere boucle, a lofty knit offered in a twin set and an extra-soft felted cashmere in V-necks, cardigans and peacoats.

Should a cashmere sweater need updating, it can be altered; a turtleneck can be transformed into a crew, for instance. Knitwear Doctor shortens cashmere pants and skirts and makes alterations for N. Peal, TSE and other stores as well as individual customers.