Fur

There are more than 90 species of Antelope from Africa, Asia, and America combined.

The skin of Antelope is soft, supple, and pliable however the hair feels flat and stiff. Coloration varies from light brown to gray with white, dark brown or near black markings. Antelope is used to make coats, jackets, vests, belts, bags, and other garment related accessories. It’s not a durable fur as the fur rubs off easily when forced in the wrong direction but leather edging, trim, piping, prongs and/or metal feet are often added to areas that may come in contact with surfaces, and it’s a more affordable fur that may be a better choice for casual wear.

Written by furwise.com

Badger fur is long haired. It is usually left in it’s natural length with the exception of the grotzen hairs which are long mane like guard hairs that run down the center of the back which are plucked. Coloration varies from region to region with Canadian Badger having gray guardhair and pale white underfur, US Badger having gray guardhair and creamy underfur, and Asiatic Badger having grey guardhair and yellowish-brown underfur. The best Badger has a natural silvery tint. North American Badger is softer and fuller than other Badger.

Badger is very durable and can last years when properly cared for. It is heavy though so it is often leathered(a process where leather strips are added in between) which makes it much lighter but also less durable.

Written by Furwise.com

Bassarisk is a mammal found in the Southwestern United States and in Mexico. It has two layers of fur with the top layer being medium in length and the underfur being shorter. Coloration is light brown to yellowish brown with a lesser amount of gray or grayish white. The best Bassarisk has strong yellow tones. Not to be confused with ringtail possum, Bassarisk has trade names like ringtail, ringtailed cat, and miner’s cat because of the rings it has around it’s long bushy tail. It used to be called Rock Sable as well until the Products Fur Labeling act went into effect in 1952.

It is neither a cat or a sable but is in the raccoon family. Bassarisk is used both in its natural length or plucked. The best Bassarisk has strong yellow tones. Sometimes Bassarisk is bleached or dyed. It is not the most durable fur but it can last a long time with proper care.

Written by Furwise.com

Bears are hunted for a variety of reasons but the main ones are for clothing and food.
The hunting of black bear has been going on for centuries starting with the Norse tribes who as young men would hunt them with only a knife as a rite of passage.
Different tribes traded animal pelts as they were highly valued for clothing.

Russia was the main source of fur pelts before the discovery of North America. European explorers traveled along the eastern coast trading their wares with the native Indians for pelts.

Bear fur consists of two layers, the underfur and the outer guard hairs. The underfur is soft and is used mainly to insulate. The outer guard fur is thick and long, and is quite coarse.

Here are some uses of bear fur that we are familiar with:

A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and is still worn by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies. The one that is most familiar to us is the British Foot Guards standard hat. This hat is 18” tall and it weighs 1.5 pounds. It is made from the fur of the Canadian black bear. The bearskin used by officers is actually made from the fur of the Canadian brown bear as the female brown bear has a much thicker and fuller fur. This brown fur is then dyed black. To make one hat (or as they are officially called caps) the entire skin of the bear is used.

Beaver fur is thick, soft, warm and hard-wearing.
Beaver fur is used in it’s natural length, plucked, or sheared.

Natural Beaver has a long shiny wirey top layer of guardhair and a thick softer layer of underfur. The coloration is brown, light brown, a combination of dark brown with lighter shades of brown on the sides, or silvery. The fur is very durable and makes great casual wear for both men and women.

Sheared Beaver is plucked and sheared to a soft, velvety pile. Natural coloration is the same as mentioned above. Sheared Beaver is also dyed a variety of colors. Sometimes the natural brown is dyed darker in the center with the lighter shades of brown being further lightened or bleached and sometimes the fur is dyed other fun colors, sometimes including colorful stenciled designs within the fur. The fur mats mats over time from moisture in the air and from getting wet.

Written by Furwise.com

There are several varieties of the Bird Of Paradise, and most are found in inner jungles of Papua, New Guinea.

The Greater Bird Of Paradise is the one most often seen on women’s hats from the Edwardian Era. Like the Great Snowy Egret or Heron, they were prized for their stunning and colorful fine plumage, and were once hunted to the point of extinction for use in the millinery trade.

Whole birds were often used on lady’s huge hats, as well as the tail plumage. Male birds were the most prized, and were killed during mating season when their plumage was at its peak of beauty. The male is quite large, and his pale yellow and wine colored tail feathers are long and extremely fine and were sometimes dyed black or other colors.

It is illegal to hunt or export the birds today, but their numbers continue to dwindle as their habitat is slowly being destroyed by man.

Written by Rue de la Paix/www.ruedelapaixhats.com.

American Bison is also known as American Buffalo.
The fur is shaggy, long, dark brown in winter, and a lighter weight, lighter brown in the summer.

The term Buffalo is sometimes considered to be a misnomer for this animal as it is only distantly related to either two true Buffalo, the Asian Water Buffalo and the African Buffalo. The Wild Water Buffalo is considered to be a different species, is brownish-grey, and is on the endangered species list.

Written by Furwise.com

Burunduki is a small chipmunk that inhabits Northern Asia, Eastern and Central Europe. The fur is short and coarse. Coloration is brownish gray, with a yellow and/or whitish tint, and stripes that run down the head, back, and sides.

The pelts are small and sewn together into plates to make garments. Burunduki does not offer much warmth and does not have enough durability to wear well as coats. The fur is occasionally used to make shorter jackets but is more often used to make linings, handbags, skirts, matching accessories, and trim.

Written by Furwise.com

The reference calf refers to the young of mammals in the Bovinae subfamily such as cow, ox, bison, buffalo, and other related animals.

The image shown below is the calf of cow. Natural coloration is black, brown, white, a combination of some, or all. It sometimes dyed and stenciled to have the appearance of other animals. The hair is short and sleek. It feels smooth when brushed along the grain, but feels stiff when pushed against the grain, and rubs off from surface contact. For this reason leather trim is often added to areas that come in contact with surfaces. The leather is very soft. Coats, belts, handbags, gloves, hats, shoes, and other accessories are made from calfskin. Parchment documents and book bindings have been made from calfskin as well.

Written by FurWise.com

From the Hindu word Chita meaning “spotted one”, the cheetah’s coat varies from a tawny to golden tone covered in a pattern of solid black spots. It is coarse to the touch rather than silky.
The throat and abdomen are a creamy white in color.

The Cheetah has a small head with high set eyes and short rounded ears tipped with white on the back. The most well known characteristic is the distinct black ‘tear mark’, which runs from the inside corner of the eye down to the corner of the mouth.

The King Cheetah has a fur pattern mutation, which turns the small rounded spots into large connected black patches. This mutation is caused from a lack of genetic diversity.

Written by Pauline Cameron & Katie Kemsley

The Chinchilla is a rodent from the Andes mountain range of South America and is known for its long, dense, extremely soft fur. The tiny animal was given the name chinchilla after the Inca tribe conquered the Chincha tribe in the 15th century. At the time the meat was used for food and the fur was used for blankets and robes. In the 16th century the Incas were conquered by the Spaniards. Story has it that the Spaniards made demands and through their demands a box of jewels wrapped in a chinchilla fur robe was given to the Spaniard’s queen. The queen loved it and soon after chinchilla was introduced to the civilized world and every woman in Spain wanted to have the luxurious fur that the queen had. chinchillas became prized all through Europe and as a result the chinchilla was almost endangered by 1914. In 1924 a few breeding pairs were imported into the US. Farmers then started breeding and ranching chinchillas instead of hunting them in the wild. Nowadays, all chinchilla is ranched.

Chinchilla fur is incredibly soft, silky, and dense. It has more than 20,000 hairs per square centimeter giving it the highest hair density of any animal. Pests and parasites like fleas cannot live on chinchilla because they will suffocate. A chinchilla has 50 hairs per folicle whereas a human only has 1 per folicle. Despite it’s density it is still very light in weight. Chinchilla’s have gray fur on the sides, black fur on top, and white bellies. Some chinchillas are a slate blue color which is considered to be the best. It is often enhanced with brighteners. Mutation colors are now also reproduced and some rex rabbits are bred and ranched to look like chinchilla as well but are not. Chinchillas are small and the skin is fragile but it is still one of the most luxurious furs today due to the soft, silky feel, light weight, and ability to provide warmth given the density.

Written by Furwise.com

The Civet may look like a cat but it is actually part of the Mongoose family.
There are 35 species in 20 genera. The African Civet is the largest of the Civets.

The Fishing or Aquatic Genet, or Congo Water Civet, is rare and inhabits small rivers and streams of the Central Africa forest. The common Genet can be found in France, Africa, Iberian Peninsula, and Palestine. The Genet’s tail makes up half of its body length and their coloration helps them avoid detection by their prey.

Written by Pauline Cameron & Katie Kemsley

While leather can be made from the skins of sting rays to the skins of
kangaroos, most leather comes from cattle skin. The prime advantage of
cattle leather is its large size. It is used for everything from watch
straps to floor-length coats. The specific treatment of the hide can
create different effects, Many people prefer this leather as it can
breathe, making it ideal for shoes, purses, and other accessories

‘Slink’ is leather made from the skin of unborn calves. It is
particularly soft, and is valued for use in making gloves.

‘Nubuck’ is top-grain cattle hide leather that has been sanded or buffed
on the grain side, or outside, to give a slight nap of short protein
fibers, producing a velvet-like surface.

The US is the largest producer of bovine hides and skins.

Written by The Vintage Fashion Guild

Coyote, a member of the canine species, can be found across North America and parts of Central America.

The fur is a long with thicker underfur. Coloration ranges from yellowish-gray or grayish-brown mixed with white, sometimes a bit of red, and dark brown to black tips.

It is a durable fur that makes great coats for men and women.

Written by Furwise.com

Deerskin leather is extremely strong but at the same time very soft and supple.
It has a tendency to stretch over time and can loose its shape with rough wear.

Popular skin used for boots, moccasins, jackets.

Written by The Vintage Fashion Guild

The Ermine has chocolate brown fur in the summer but in the winter it grows a pure white coat of moderately fine fur. Only the black tip of the tail remains the same color year round.

Ermine is found in the north temperate and frigid sectors of Eurasia and North America.

The fur is usually prepared by having the black of the tail inserted at regular intervals, so that it contrasts with the pure white of the fur.

Fur traders prize the white pelt. The fur, with or without the black spots, has been used historically for trimming ceremonial and royal garments. In England, the robes of high court judges are trimmed with ermine that stands for the perfect rectitude essential to the judge’s office.

Written by Pauline Cameron & Katie Kemsley

Ferrets are sold under the name Fitch. Each year 15,000 are raised for their fur, primarily in Finland, but also in Sweden, New Zealand and Poland.

In late November the Ferret’s fur becomes ‘prime’ and reaches its highest commercial value.

They come in a wide variety of colors to include sable, albino, cinnamon, silver, white with black eyes, chocolate, Siamese, panda, and Shetland sable.
The Ferret’s hair will thicken in the winter and lighten in the summer.

It is illegal to breed ferrets in the US for fur.

The Ferret is a member of the Mustelidae family that also includes the Weasel, Skunk, Marten, Mink, Badger, Otter, Ermine, and European polecat.

The Fisher resembles a house cat in body size and shape but has shorter legs and a longer wedge-shaped snout.

The fur is a dark brown to black and as the animal becomes older, the tips of the hair become frosted. The male’s hair is coarser; therefore the female pelts are more desirable to the fur trapper.

Fishers will commonly travel 2-3 miles each day and while they are arboreal to some degree, most hunt and travel on the ground. They mark their territories and communicate with urine and gland secretions. Since becoming endangered the fishers have been reintroduced in West Virginia, New York, Idaho and Montana.

Written by Pauline Cameron & Katie Kemsley

Fox fur comes in many different colors and is found all over the world. The popularity of it being ranched in the US was once high but now it is more often ranched in Scandinavia, Norway, Russia, and other countries in Europe. Ranching fox allows farmers to create more colors, combine, and blend natural colors through mutation.

Fox fur is soft, long, and fluffy. It can last a long time but must be properly maintained to prevent matting and wear. Fox fur retains it’s value as long as the skins are supple, the underfur, and guardhair remain soft, dense, and fluffy.

Written by Furwise.com

Named after the French naturalist Geoffroy St. Hilaire, Geoffroy’s cat is found in a geographical range that covers practically the entire South America continent. Geoffroy’s cat is a small, lightly built, spotted cat, which is highly variable in coloration. The northern animals are colored a brilliant ochre, while the southern ones are more silvery gray, known as the silver phase. It is covered all over with equally placed small dark brown or black spots. On the shoulders and flanks of some individuals, the spots may merge to form rosettes or bars.

The Geoffroy’s cat is one of the most widespread Argentinean cats and has been in very great demand, since the early seventies when pelt trading of Jaguar, Ocelot and Margay was restricted under CITES. Probably the most hunted South American small cat, even if the species has been legally protected, at least 25 Geoffroy’s Cats are needed to make one coat.

Written by Pauline Cameron & Katie Kemsley