Understanding Different Types of Fur

Are you shopping – or even browsing – for a luxurious fur coat? Or maybe you have your heart set on a fur-trimmed jacket or fur hat. If you’re in the market for anything from a full length mink fur coat to a rabbit fur handbag, you’ve come to the right place.

MINK FUR

– Plush, elegant, lightweight, and durable
– Lends itself to formal and casual attire
– Look for quality in craftsmanship/fit/design

Mink is the most popular of all furs sold worldwide. Known for its luxuriously soft, lightweight texture, mink fur lends itself well to elegant evening looks and casual styles alike. Longhaired mink boasts lustrous guard hairs and soft, dense underfur, while sheared mink has a wonderfully plush, velvety texture that’s fabulous to the touch.

Mink fur coats range vastly in price, from under $1,000 to over $10,000. Look for a coat with apparent quality in the design, feel, and workmanship: one that fits beautifully, features silky guard hairs and even-textured underfur, and has well-matched pelts of even size. Premium mink fur coats not only offer you inimitable elegance, but many years of wear – they’re as durable as they are luxurious!

RABBIT FUR

– Ultra-silky-soft, surprisingly affordable
– Warm yet lightweight
– Natural longhaired or sheared (sporty)
– Rex Rabbit (France): silkier, denser like chinchilla or sheared mink

Rabbit fur is extremely popular, thanks to its heavenly soft feel, beauty, versatility, and affordable price. Wonderfully lightweight and warm, rabbit fur features medium-length guard hairs, and can be worn in its natural longhaired form or sheared for a sportier look. Either way, rabbit fur is plush and silky, and lends itself well to a myriad of designs. It can be easily dyed, sheared, knitted, or sculpted to create a unique look or to resemble more expensive furs such as chinchilla.

Rex rabbit fur, developed in France nearly 100 years ago, is distinct in that it has no prominent guard hair. This results in a silkier, denser fur that resembles chinchilla or sheared mink. Sumptuous and velvety, Rex rabbit fur can be worn either long or sheared.

FOX FUR

Fluffy, full-bodied, warm
Glamorous, beautiful
Plush yet lightweight
Ideal for high-fashion trim
Long, lustrous guard hairs

Another hugely popular fur is the luxuriously full-furred fox. With long, lustrous guard hairs and a soft, thick underfur, fox is wonderfully fluffy and ideal for high-fashion trim on collars, cuffs, wraps, headbands – you name it, fox fur makes everything lusciously warm and beautiful.

Fox fur boasts an unusually wide range of natural colorings, including silver, red, white, gray, and cross, and it can also be dyed in a variety of colors for stylistic effect.

BEAVER FUR

– Warm, durable
– Lustrous sheen
– Natural longhaired has semi-coarse guard hair

Beaver fur offers unbeatable warmth and durability in either its natural or sheared form. Natural, longhaired beaver has long, semi-coarse guard hair with a unique sheen and exceptionally thick, soft underfur. Its lustrous, natural brown fur is often dyed white or darker brown. Sheared beaver fur, often dyed in playful, fashionable colors, is velvety soft to the touch, having been shorn down to the plush underfur.

RACCOON FUR

– Lofty, dense, soft, fluffy, and warm
– Beautiful coloring
– Elegant, ideal for trims

Soft, dense, and fluffy, raccoon fur makes gorgeous collars and tuxedo trims, thanks to its unique coloring and wonderful loft. With long, silvery, tipped guard hairs and thick, heavy underfur, raccoon offers wonderful warmth and is quite durable when cared for properly.

Sometimes the distinctive black tail fur with tan rings is used for trim, but more commonly used is the black-tipped, silver-gray body fur. Sumptuous to behold and touch, raccoon fur augments whatever it adorns with elegance and beauty.

CHINCHILLA FUR

– The softest, thickest fur available
– Lightweight yet super-dense
– Natural colors silvery grey to slate blue

Nothing is softer than chinchilla. A rare, more expensive fur, and one that requires a lot of care, chinchilla is highly sought after for its exceptional warmth and softness. Chinchilla features ultra-silky fur, with lustrous guard hairs that range from silvery grey to slate blue, and sumptuous, dark underfur. Chinchilla fur has the highest density of any animal, with more than 20,000 hairs per square centimeter, yet it’s wonderfully lightweight.

FOX LYNX FUR

– Luxurious feel, dense, softer than coyote or fox
– Unique coloration, medium brown to gold beige/white, spotted brown
– Dramatic presentation

With a luxurious feel that’s softer than coyote or fox fur, lynx fur is characterized by its unique coloration that varies from medium brown to goldish beige-white and is often spotted brown. With its dense underfur and soft, sleek guard hair, lynx fur offers supreme warmth and a dramatic presentation.

COYOTE FUR

– Natural hues gray-brown, yellow-gray, off-white
– Beautiful highlights are signature feature
– More affordable than other furs, resilient
– Warm for coats, hats, blankets

Coyote fur offers its own signature appearance with highlights of color on beautiful, luxurious fur. Fur color varies from grayish-brown to yellow-gray or off-white, depending on geographic origin. Coyote fur is beautiful and resilient, and generally more affordable than other furs. This fur makes a soft, lovely trim on collars and cuffs, and its density makes it a natural choice for hats, coats, and blankets.

LAMB FUR

– Long & curly with high-fashion appeal
– Exceptionally warm, heavier weight than other furs
– One of the more affordable furs

Mongolian and Tibetan lamb are flashy, high-fashion furs with lots of personality. The only longhaired furs that are also curly, Mongolian and Tibetan lamb have recently become more prominent in fashion, due to their luxe, voluminous style and more affordable price.

Mongolian lamb fur has long, wavy guard hairs, and lends itself well to sporty styles. Tibetan lamb fur is very similar, except its silky hair is even longer, sometimes by three or four inches.