Evening star., 1902-02-01
THE LONDON FUR MARKET.
New Discovery i'm the Production O
Imitation Sealskfn.

New Discovery In the Production Of
Imitation Sealskin.
From the London Telegraph.
Though London is the great distributing
market Of the world. to which the finest
furs are sent for sale, its work in the
dressing and making-up Of skins is far be-
hind that of Paris or Berlin, and 1t is to
those capitals that fastidious buyers turn
for the finest manipulation. With the de-
cay of the apprentice system and the in
flux of only partially skilled alien labor,
it has for several years past been difficult
for lad or girl to learn the highest
branches of what is really well-paid and
important craft. Various suggestions have
been put forward by those interested in the
trade as to the best means of training ex-
pert workers, and the FurrierS' Association
"a body Of gentlemen representing the
leading wholesale fur firms of the city-haS
enlisted the collaboration of the North
ampton Polytechnic Institute, Islington, to
open course of evening lectures and prac-
tical instruction. A competent teacher has
been secured, the fees have been fixed at
an extremely low figure. and it is hoped
that an important step will be taken toward
enabling the metropolis to compete fairly
with her continental rivals.
The experiment has particular interest
at the present moment in view of what
Is likely to be a notable feature in the
seasons fur fashions, and this is the ex-
tTaord1nary perfection to which the treat
ment of dyeing of the musquash or musk
rat skin has now been brought. To the
ordinary mind the mention of this pelt
merely conjureS up vision Of cheap drab
colored jackets, with collars looking like
rabbit or very inferior beaver. But 1t
does not require a long memory to recall
how, three or four years ago, ordinary
rabbit was transfigured into electric seal''
by means of marvelously delicate processes
which removed the longer coarSer hairs,
giving fullnesS and separation to the finer
ones left and clever gradation of coloring
as seen in the true Alaska skin. These arts
have now been applied to the musquash,
and 1t repays the treatment even better.
Indeed, at first sight, it is difficult to dis
tinguish it from the rarer skin, SO thick
and soft is it. Already it is to be found
made up in the latest shapes, with costly
accessories of richest satin Innings and trim
mings. and West END houses are showing
1t in the form of mantleS at prices as high
as f40, for the cost of the process makes
the fur somewhat heavy. Canadian sear
Is the trade name applied to it when it imi-
tates sealskin, but when cunningly dyed to
shades of brown it becomes ''lustered sa-
ble." and is scarcely less successful un-
der this name None of this treatment
is done as yet in this country, but is exc
cuted in France, where fur dyeing is every
year improving. Kolinsky, for instance, in
its natural coloring, is a yellow and poor
colored type of sable, yet, after Partisan
manipulation, it becomes almost impossible
to distinguish it from the very finest Rus
sian skins of this choicest of all furs, and
upon 1t can be conferred even that indefina-
b lie bloom long supposed to be the de-
c1siVe proof of the genuine type.