El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-09-13
Silver Fox Skins At $1,000 PeIt the
Newest Fad Of Royalty In Fine Furs
Expensive
Big Money Made Raising Edward Island
By RENE BACHE.
D. C.. Sept "a
w Royalty has hit upon a brand
new fad.

W. ASHINGTON, D. c., Sept ID
w Royalty has hit upon brand
new fad.
Only a few weeks ago, at Potsdam,
the princess Victoria Luise, eldest
daughter of the German emperor, at
tracted surprised attention as she was
driven through the streets in her auto
mobile Her whole body seemed liter
ally to simmer as with golden light
what is it that our princess wears
this day." asked one citizen to another
1T is some kind of celestial FABRIC
surely" was the reply.
Yet the notion was mistake. AT All
events what the princess victoria
Luise had on was not a fabric at all
in the ordinary sense OF the word II
was a coat of silver fox fur tipped
with gold; and she carried a muft 10
match.
This is a new and quite remarkable
invention, one should explain-gold be-
ing applied by an electrolytic process
to the tips of the long black hairs OF
the fur. Thus is produced the peculiar
"shimmering' effect described
It is a curious fact that, so far as
known. silver fox is the only kind OF
fur which can be treated in this way
successfully. The hairs of no other
fur will hold the gold Hence 1t ap-
pears that this particular and latest
touch in costume is obtalnable only Dy
very wealthy women-silver fox being
by far the most costly of all furs-
Royalty MOnOpOli1es supply.
As a matter of fact. however. the
available supply of this kind OF 1ur Is
almost entirely monOpOlized by royalty.
Ermine is out of fashion nowadays
with kings and queens. save as trim
ming for robes of state. Perhaps this
is because it has been initiated so eX-
tensively by the skillful manipulation
of ordinary pussy-cat. A 1lrst class
skin of a silver fox, on the other hand,
is worth $4,000 today, and TO counterfeit
it is Impossible.
The government bureau Of animal in
dustry reckons that at least 25,0OO,0OO
is paid annually in this country for
furs of all kinds. But it is very diff
cult to obtain silver fox fur at any
price. Not long ago one skin Of great
beauty was sold in London, at auction,
for S2,s25. No such priceh as ever been
paid for the pelt of any other kind OF
animal.
American Wealth Buys Suute.
And yet the American multimillion-
aire is always ready to bid against
royalty for anything Whence II GENES
about that a few of our richest women
are able to boast the possession of sill
yer fox furs- At the last horse show
in New York was seen one set of black
fox consisting of only three skins,
which is known to have cost $4,000.
Another lady, on the same occasion,
wore a coat of Siberian marten Conn
monty known as Russian sable) which
cost $4,000 But the marten IS a mueh
smaller animal, and the number of pelts
that went to make up the garment
was considerably greater.
One naturally asks, from what source
is the rare and precious silver fox fur
Obtained2 The answer is that the bulk
Of 10 hot " FrOr
Prince Edward Island, off the Canadian
coast That is the only place in the
world where silver foxes are reared
under conditions Of partial domestica-
tion-the business being SO profitable
that up to noW-its very existence has
been kept carefully secret by the few
persons engaged in it.
II the pelts are costly, the living ami
mails are much more so, being useful
for breeding purposes. Silver fox pups
born in 1912 have value of $4,000 to
81, 600 apiece; but to get one at even
that price would be extremely difficult
To kill one for its fur would be like
wringing the neck of the goose that
laid the golden eggS-saYe only where
there are superfluOus males, which fur
nish the furs that are sent to market.
London Is the Market.
These skins, so few and so costly,
are shipped to London, where they are
of at the great auctions of I
furs-that city being. as every one I
knows, the fur market of the world I
Thence they find their way almost in 1
avitabIy into the hands of royal fam 1
lies, which have standing orders with 4
agents to buy them at almost any price /
whenever they are offered. The emp /
-ess of Russia has a magnificent set 4
Of silver fox furs. which is rivaled 1
perhaps only by another set in the pos
session of the morganatic wife of the /