fur descriptions

Badger - An extremely durable fur. Badger is quite heavy, warm and rugged. The long
silvery guard hair covers a dense underfur, which should be white or tan.

Beaver - Beaver can be plucked and sheared to reveal an amazingly thick soft underfur,
the secret of its warmth. Or the fur can be left "natural," its lustrous guardhair giving a
completely different look and feel.

Calf - Lightweight and sporty. Look for brightly lustered, supple pelts with attractive
markings and coloration.

ChinChilla - Originally from the mountains of South America, chinchilla used in the fur
trade are now almost wholly farm-raised. Most pelts are slate-blue, although other natural
colours are becoming more widely available. The fur is very lightweight and remarkably
soft, dense and silky.

Coyote - Warmth, durability and a sporty look. The finest coyote is well covered with
long, lustrous guardhairs over dense, soft underfur. Colours range from pale grey to tan.
Brightness is sometimes added by working with white fox.

Fisher - An exquisite Canadian fur. With relatively large hunting territories and low
reproductive rates, fisher is not as common as some other furbearers. Guardhairs are silky
over a very dense underfur. Rich dark browns to almost black

Fitch - Look for a silky texture and clear colours when choosing fitch. Colours range from
ecru to orange, with black markings. Most fitch today is farm-raised.

Fox - Most wild Canadian foxes are a clear brilliant red. The winter phase of the Arctic
fox, however, is almost pure white. In addition, farmed foxes are now available in a wide
range of natural colours, to which the dyer's art has added a full palate of blushes, tints and
hues. The world's first farmed foxes were the black and "silver" varieties raised on Prince
Edward Island, at the beginning of this century. When choosing fox, look for long silky
guardhairs and soft dense underfur.

Kid - Sometimes patterned to imitate Broadtail, kid should be silky with a short, flat, even
texture. Most kid is imported from China, Ethiopia and South America.

Lamb - This is actually a group of furs encompassing a wide variety of weights, textures
and prices. From rugged, water-repellent sheared Mouton, to playful, curly Mongolian, to
elegant "Persian" karakul, "Broadtail" and Swakara.

Lynx - One of the most distinctively Canadian furs. Soft silky fur with magnificent colour
and markings have made lynx one of the most desired furs in recent years.

Marmot - Warm, thick-furred and quite coarse. Marmot may be natural or dyed in a range
of colours. As with most furs, one looks for "bluish" as opposed to "reddish" tones in
natural pelts.

Marten - This North American cousin of the Russian sable remains one of the most
exquisite of furs. Long silky guardhair with dense soft underfur. Look for clarity of colour
and soft, supple texture.

Mink - Still the queen of furs. Extensively farmed in North America, the Soviet Union and
Scandinavia, more mink are used in the fur trade than any other single fur. Always popular
and worked in a complete range of styles, from casual to dressy. Guard hairs shine with an
unmistakable lustre; underfur should be lush and soft. Female pelts are smaller (narrower
bands in a let-out coat), silkier and have a lower pile. Excellent value and durabffity.
Canadian mink are world renowned.

Muskrat muskrat is characterized by very dense underfur.

Nutria - Good nutria may resemble beaver and can be worked in similar ways: natural
longhair or plucked and sheared. Watch for uniformity of texture and colour with sleek
guardhair and plush underfur. Natural colours range from the silver-blue of the more
expensive ranched European ("spitz") nutria to the brown tones of North or South
American wild pelts.

Opossum - The North American variety has longer, silvery guardhairs. Australian
opossum has a dense, shorter pile and a blue-grey colour. Sometimes it is dyed brown or
other shades.

Rabbit - Ranched rabbit is now available in a wonderful array of natural colours. Silky
texture and uniformity of colour are the qualities to keep in mind for the finest garment. The
colours and choices between shearing, grooving and natural rabbit present a generous
selection of warm, soft fur coats, jackets, vests and hats.

Raccoon - Raccoon is characterized by long silvery guardhair over a very dense underfur.
While it may be bleached or dyed.

Sable - One of the rarest and most expensive of furs. Pelts are long, lightweight and
well-furred. Crown sable is brown with a bluish cast, while Golden sable glows like
amber. The finest sables will often have silvery hairs dispersed throughout the fur.

Skunk - Fine white markings on a blue-black ground and long silky guardhairs give this fur
its tremendous visual appeal. Often marketed as "Zorino,"

Squirrel - Squirrel is heavily furred yet low profiled and lightweight.

Tanuki - Imported from Japan, the tanuki is actually a member of the raccoon family. It is
sometimes dyed to mimic cross fox, which the fur resembles. Something different to
consider if you are looking for character and quality.

Weasel - A member of the mink family. The feel of mink shorter-haired and lightweight.