The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-04-12
CHAPTER FORTYSEYEN

CHAPTER FORTY-SENEN
FIRs
EURS are By far the tricki-
est Of all merchandise.
Even if you're a connoisseur
you owe It to yourself to buy
the protection OF a reputable
house.
At least these remarks viii show
you what 10 expect ard perhaps
put you on your guard against
some OF the tricks OF the trade.
Wool limitations of fur exist
that sometimes deceive the ex-
tremely undiscriminating. Fur. Of
course. grows naturally out Of a
pelt, while wool limitations are
nothing but cloth.
Watch for such limitations
Of Persian and caracuI. Cloth
limitations also are made of
leopard and baronduki with
the spots and stripes printed
on. And plush initiates the
rabbit family.
But such limitations would rarely
deceive even A child
Among real furs. there are sep
srate standards Of quality for
each individual breed, but few
general rules hold good for all.
odd skins are inferior because
with age the natural oils dry
out and the pelts crack.
Cold storage in summer retards
this aging process.
0-Luxurance or thickness Of
( hair Is desirable.
1.-The finer the texture In any
, given breed. the better the
quality.
A-Natural luster is desirable.
This should not he con-
fused with synthetic lustcr
achieved by dyes.
Brown dyed furs usually are
, inferior to natural brown furs
because with age the dye tends to
turn red.
Alaska seal is an exception to
this rule because it is dyed by a
special process.
dyed long-haired furs are in
Q ferior to natural long haired
furs because the dye makes the
long hairs brittle dixie dyed human
hair so that such furs don't wear
we'll.
Also DIVES make ng-haired
furs coarse and stiffcn the
pelts 80 they are more likely
10 crack.
1.-The paws of an animal are in
ferior to the rest of the pelt.
So n coat of chiDchilla paws
is technically chinchilla, but
an inferior grade.
Beware OF skins that are heavy
Q for their breed. They probably
are pieced skins.
DO not confuse hcayiness
with thickness of the fur it.
self.
ON fur garments, the better
skins are matched, the better
the quality.
This means matching coloring
thickness of fur, length of fur
markings tas in mink or Jeopardy
curl (as in Persian lamb, or pat
tern las in broadtaiD. so that the
coat or cape or collar looks all OF
piece.
lN-Collars of perishable furs
~ should be set back from the
neck to protect the fur from wear
While this Is not matter
Of intrinsic quality, IL is
practical consideration.
Individual pelts of a given breed
vary as much as individual heads
OF hair; some are coarse, som'
fine. some luxuriant, some sparse
some lustrous. some dull As every
dog fancier knows. climate anC
diet and ancestry affect the quail
ity of fur.
&nfu tllnldtt> iuT
uriance. 50 climate il the rea-
son why the best sahles come
from Russia. the best seals
from Alaska.
Diet makes for luster and an
cestrY makes for certain desired
colorings So diet and ancestr!
are the reasons why some of In,
best foxes come from pedigreeC
fox farms.
Mink now i being bred In
the same way.
JENELRY
Uncut jewels are valued accord
ing TO beauty, transparency, hard
ness. and rarity, Beauty imphe:
color.
You will find that diamond,
may be black. blue. or yellow a.
well rs white; rubies pale pink a:
well as rcd. and so on.
such freak shades of these
stones are valuable chiefly be-
cause of their rarity.
All four precious stones: emer
aids. rubies. sapphires, and dia
monds. are transparent. hard. anC
extremely rare as compared 4
semi-precious stones.
In cut stones. the expert
ness OF the cutting influences
the quality.
An amateur cannot possibly
judge cutting except 70 recognize
the most obvious classifications.
Brilliant cuts are many fsceted
Step cuts have = flat table tor
designed 10 display color 70 adj
vantage