Garments made of sealskin pieces and Persian lamb pieces are frequently sold as if they were made of solid skins, the term “pieces” being simply suppressed. The London Chamber of Commerce have issued to the British trade a notice that any misleading term in advertising and all attempts at deception are illegal, and offenders are liable under the Merchandise Marks Act 1887.
The most usual misnaming of manufactured furs is as follow:—
| Musquash, pulled and dyed | Sold as seal. |
| Nutria, pulled and dyed | Sold as seal. |
| Nutria, pulled and natural | Sold as beaver. |
| Rabbit, sheared and dyed | Sold as seal or electric seal. |
| Otter, pulled and dyed | Sold as seal. |
| Marmot, dyed | Sold as mink or sable. |
| Fitch, dyed | Sold as sable. |
| Rabbit, dyed | Sold as sable or French sable. |
| Hare, dyed | Sold as sable, or fox, or lynx. |
| Musquash, dyed | Sold as mink or sable. |
| Wallaby, dyed | Sold as skunk. |
| White Rabbit | Sold as ermine. |
| White Rabbit, dyed | Sold as chinchilla. |
| White Hare, dyed or natural | Sold as fox, foxaline, and other similar names. |
| Goat, dyed | Sold as bear, leopard, &c. |
| Dyed manufactured articles of all kinds | Sold as “natural.” |
| White hairs inserted in foxes and sables | Sold as real or natural furs. |
| Kids | Sold as lamb or broadtails. |
| American sable | Sold as real Russian sable. |
| Mink | Sold as sable. |
The Preservation of Furs.—For many years raw sealskins have been preserved in cold storage, but it is only within a recent period, owing to the difficulty there was in obtaining the necessary perfectly dry atmosphere, that dressed and made-up furs have been preserved by freezing. Furs kept in such a condition are not only immune from the ravages of the larvae of moth, but all the natural oils in the pelt and fur are conserved, so that its colour and life are prolonged, and the natural deterioration is arrested. Sunlight has a tendency to bleach furs and to encourage the development of moth eggs, therefore continued exposure is to be avoided. When furs are wetted by rain they should be well shaken and allowed to dry in a current of air without exposure to sun or open fire.
Where a freezing store for furs is not accessible, furs should be well shaken and afterwards packed in linen and kept in a perfectly cool dry place, and examined in the summer at periods of not less than five weeks. Naphthalene and the usual malodorous powders are not only very disagreeable, but quite useless. Any chemical that is strong enough to destroy the life in a moth egg would also be sufficiently potent to injure the fur itself. In England moth life is practically continuous all the year round, that is, as regards those moths that attack furs, though the destructive element exists to a far greater extent during spring and summer.
Comparative Durability of Various Furs and Weight of Unlined Skins per Square Foot.
The following estimates of durability refer to the use of fur when made up “hair outside” in garments or stoles, not as a lining. The durability of fur used as linings, which is affected by other conditions, is set forth separately. Otter, with its water hairs removed, the strongest of furs for external use, is, in this table, taken as the standard at 100 and other furs marked accordingly:—
The Precious Furs.
| Points of Durability. | [2] Weight in oz. per sq. ft. | |
| Sable | 60 | 2½ |
| Sea | 75 | 3 |
| Fox, Silver or Black | 40 | 3 |
| Fox, White | 20 | 3 |
| Ermine | 25 | 1¼ |
| Chinchilla | 15 | 1½ |
| Sea-otter (for stoles or collars) | 100 | 4¼ |
The Less Valuable Furs.