FUR FACTS 45 



the hair is too coarse; and these skins are sold to the brush manu- 

 facturers who make the hairs up into shaving brushes, etc. 



Mole 



In recent years the mole has come into great vogue. It is said 

 that Queen Alexandria on a visit to Scotland was very much im- 

 pressed by the stories told her of the ravages of the moles in certain 

 farming districts. In fact the mole had become such a pest that it 

 was hard for the farmers to make any headway against them. Some 

 one suggested that the Queen have a coat made of mole skins, which 

 would create a market for the pelts, and thus a loss might be turned 

 into a profit. This she readily consented to do, and one of the leading 

 London furriers designed a beautiful mole coat for her, and since 

 that time mole has been one of the fashionable furs. 



The fur is a bluish slate color. It is about one fourth of an inch 

 or less in depth, very smooth and even, and resembles heavy velvet. 

 Due to the fact that part of the fur slopes one way and part another, 

 when it is made into a garment, gives an effect similar to watered 

 silk. As the color of the moles in their natural state vary in shade, 

 they are blended, that is the very tops of the fur are lightly touched 

 with dye in order to give the fur an even color. It is very light in 

 weight. 



BROWN FURS 



Russian Sable 



The Russian sable is found only in Siberia, and it is one of the 

 most beautiful of all furs. Valued per square inch fine Russian 

 sables are the highest priced furs in the world. The finest Russian 

 sable come from that part of Siberia known as the Barguzin district. 

 This is a heavily timbered part of Siberia and the sable found here 

 are rarely exposed to the sunlight. The result is that their fur is a 

 rich deep dark brown color that glistens with life and lustre. These 

 fine skins have a few white hairs scattered through them which really 

 heightens the effect of their beautiful gloss. In the old days of the 

 Czar's regime these skins were known as Imperial Sables and belonged 

 to the Czar and most of them were used by the Imperial Family. 

 Of late years these skins have been coming to America, and they 

 are prized very highly by the woman who wants the finest fur garment 

 that money can buy. These skins have sold as high as two thousand 

 dollars per skin. The writer was told by a leading Fifth Avenue 

 furrier that he once sold a neck piece consisting of twelve Russian 

 sables for thirty five thousand dollars, or a little over an average 



