The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-17
RUSSIIN SABLE.
some of the Fur Once Reserved to the I'm
periaI Family Now COMING Here.


The sum Of $500, tie reported cost OF sable
and seal coat. recently ordered by a well known
woman, seems rather a neat amount 10 invest
in q winter coat: but woman with a taste Tor
sable, can always diSp ose OF money with electric
tapdity and ease The purchase Of 81, 500 worth
Of sable wouldn't bring culver to the eyelashcJ
Of a Russian Grand Duchess; and even in thi,
country there are sable clOaks worth more than
that amount.
W other fur. with the possible exception OF tho
silver fox, represents great money value az tho
Russian sable. and the finest varieties OF this
tur ere growing more scarce the price steadily
, Crrcps higher. There IRE innumCrablc grades
Oi The skins, mtfly ui them Oi comparatively lltto
value but the fur Is valuable, in proportion as II
Is dark IN color, and the sable par excellence.
tie Russian Imperial has a depth Of color that
makes the lighter grades lock cheap and tawdry.
nth recently none ri this fur allowed TO leave
Russia. II Was reserved exclusively for the use
OF the Russian Imperial family. aud many and
deep were the schemes by which foreigners tried
To infringe upon this Russian royal prcroGative.
, Occasionally some generous High and
highi.ncSs was graciousIY pleased TO make .
present Of Imperial sdbles tO friendly monnrchs
OF beautiful women. and Grand Ducal love paths
may be traced by sable hlazings. The two mos,
valuable sable cloaks, outside OF Russia, ara
souvenirs Of love affairs that stirred Russian
court Ccles 10 Weir depths ana furnished all
10 day, however the matter Of obtaining I'M
pcral sable Is merely question Of money: and.
a consequence. many OF the best skins are find-
ing their way TO America Their number IS
necessarily lIEi!Ied and as rule, only the best
fur houses carry them But the market is flooded
with Russian imperial sable, 80 called. which is.
in reality an INFERIOR qusAty Of sable, light in
color. but 50 skllliully dyed that II Will deceive
cnyonc, save an expert These skins are at
first almost beautiful as the genuine article:
but they fade rapidly and soon show themselves
The Hudson Bay sable is inferior to tho Rus
sian ~ both qualify and color; and while q par
tllUi than the light and inferior qualities of tho
Russian iur, no Hudson Bay sable approaches
Tho latter is Of SOL, rich brown, utterly unap-
| proachablc in any other fur, and OF wonder
slight tinee OF red in its hue and even at It's besS
| Is c1arsor IN quality than It's rival
The Ss asd ~ o1 animal c q .as mS,en family
| The skins small. but make up. in value, what
they lack in bulk, One Of the Imperial Russian
| skins costs anywhere from $500 70 $500 and q
mental calculation Of the number OF these tiny
| pelts necessary for the making Of voluminous
| cloak, will show the cost OF keeping beauty warm
with sable The most expensive sable cloak
ever made in New York cost SIS 600: but cioa;
Grand Ducal ardor, is valued at four times that
| sum fine silver fox pelt worth about 81, 400,
skin thetwo fur are nearly OF the same value; and
| while the silver fox II wonderfully beautiful, 1t
is used chiefly for Trimmings, Sable, therefore.
i
silver fox is even more rare than sable. only abouS
TWO thousand Of the skins being secured annually:
hut, while the number OF sable pclts obtained each
| wear, Is enormous, the percentage OF real Russian
| imperial skins is SO small AS TO render them Tho
! most scarce Of valuable furS
After tho silver fox, the only other fur ranking
with Russian sable in value Is the sea otter which
is almost black in color and often sprukcd with
silver hairs IL Is rising in value at more rapid
rate than any other iur, owing TO the increasing
scarcity Of the sea otter which is Of the an i
mails swiftly and surely nearing extinction. For
that matter all good iurS are BECOMING more
and more expensive The Alaska seal catch
has shTunk u such an extent that probably not
more than 800 genuine Alaska seal rCt4 will
come into the country this year though nnu-
mcrablc inferior qualities OF seal carefully doc
/ torcd, will bc sold MS first quality iIT Chin
Chilla, which comes closely behind sable, silver
fox and sea otter IN point Of value, IL becoming
exceedingly scarce in Chill where the best skins
are obtained Apparently the services OF those
good people who are waVing war in defence OF
the birds should be enlisted in behalf o. the mr.
Tearing animals one fur hearing animal how
ever, has in recent years, received more OF less
OF a holiday, aud has been able To increase and
multiply III peace, Ffmnc, formerly nuu)po-
lEcd by the royal families Of Europe found Its
way into the general market and promptly lost
caste For years II has been comparatively I'M
popular, hut, since the last drawing rooms.
the tur has taken new lease ~ lie which cor
trrS unpn the animal u nov prospect Oi dcCth.
AMI the FIAT has gone forth that ermlnc Is TO soar
nightly in favor and in price,