From essential resources against the cold for our ancestors to exclusive and precious garments for today's fashion: the term fur indicates the coat covered with more or less long hair of some species of mammals; each with its own distinctive characteristics, ranging from the length and consistency of the hair, passing through the shades of color and arriving at the capacity of resistance to use.
Fine furs: what are they
In the technical language of the fur sector, the classification is called grading, the high pile of furs is the long nap, while the short pile is the short nap. These are the terms mainly used when it comes to describing the quality and level of value of a fur. But what are the most valuable fur skins? Let's list them:- beaver;
- sable;
- fox;
- lynx;
- mink;
- chinchilla;
- ermine;
- astrakhan.
Characteristics of fine furs
Beaver: one of the first furs to be sold at a fur auction
Certainly not among the most valuable, but one of the oldest furs in the world in the fur sector; beaver fur is short nap, waterproof, thick and very soft. The colors range from black to gray through reddish.
Sable: the most valuable furs in the world
Thanks to its characteristics and peculiarities, sable is undoubtedly one of the most renowned and expensive furs; warmth, lightness and very natural tones, the thick fur of sable is extremely soft and silky. The fur of the Russian sable, or Sobol, is by far the most valuable in the world.
Fox: fashionable furs
One of the best known and worn, fox fur owes its success to very specific characteristics: long nap fur, very soft and silky and bright and luminous colors, obviously due to the type of fox it belongs to. The most sold and renowned are the silver fox, Greenland fox, and red fox furs.
Lynx: meticulous workmanship
Among the various lynx furs, the most valuable is the Russian one: thanks to careful and scrupulous workmanship, the darker parts of the coat (on the back and sides) are discarded to use only the remaining white dotted part of the belly.
Mink: tireless evergreen
Whether it is accessories or jackets, mink fur is certainly one of the most appreciated and used by women; short nap fur is shiny and bright, smooth and long-lasting, with shades of color ranging from light brown, almost tawny, to very dark brown. The most valuable mink farms, the Black Glama minks, are located in Canada.
Chinchilla: elegant and delicate luxury
A chinchilla fur is an exclusive item and definitely not for everyone: ultra soft and shiny fur with a full color of black & white shades, chinchilla fur is extremely delicate due to its very thin coat.
Ermine: the nobles' fur
The ermine has a very valuable fur that in the past was used above all to embellish the cloaks of nobles and monarchs. Splendid and refined short nap fur especially in the very elegant white variant, it more commonly has red-brown tones.