Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/96

 M TMB DRESS 78 PRACTICAL ADVICE CHOICE OF FURS By The Hon. Mrs. FITZROY STEWART No. I.— SABLES "Whcfc Sable Come From — Secrets of the Fur Trade— Frauds, and How to Detect them — ** Shaded *' Skins — Care of Sables — Value of Sable puRS, lace, and pearls are the articles of dress most prized by the modern English- woman. They can be worn by young girls, for whom rich ornaments are out of place ; they may be used in mourning ; and they are favoured by those whose fine tast-e shrinks from a display of jewels or of splendid materials. THE sable's home Sable is one of the most beautiful of furs. It was not known in Europe until long after ermine had been discovered. The sable had its home in the north-east of Asia, and the Russians are said to have conquered Siberia so as to acquire a right to these fur-producing districts. The sable is a native of Siberia, and is found in its coldest regions, at least wherever there are forests of enough density, and the progress of discovery in the north- eastern parts of Siberia has been much indebted to the expeditions of hardy and daring sable hunters. These men explore new regions at the worst seasons of the year, and spend dreary months at a great distance from human abodes. They have many a hard day in the snow before they catch this small but precious creature, whose tracks can hardly be seen in the wide snow wastes. The sable is taken in traps, which are a kind of pitfall, as the greatest care must be used to avoid injury to the fur. In some cases it is tracked through the snow to its hole, and caught by placing a net over the entrance. The sable is wary game, and by no means easily captured. The little animal makes its nest in a hollow tree, or else by burrowing in the ground, and in either case lines its lair with soft layers of moss, grass, or leafage. From this it issues to prey on smaller creatures, and it is so agile that it can catch birds in the branches of trees. Although the sable inhabits the Arctic regions, it does not, like many Arctic animals, change to white in the winter, for, as it lives mostly amongst dark branches, white would be fatally conspicuous. Sable is a species of marten, and so nearly allied to the common marten that it is hard to state specific distinctions. There is, how- ever, one^ marked difference — namely, that the sable's feet are covered with fur, even to the soles, and that its tail is more bushy than that of the marten. It is about the same size as the marten, the length of its body averaging twelve inches, and that of its tail about seven or eight inches. These tails are valuable as a decorative feature on muffs. WHERE THE FINEST SABLE COMES FROM Russian and Canadian sables bear the finest fur in the world. The over-hair is most lustrous, the wool close and soft, and the skin very fine and pliable. The fur is brown in colour, but varies in shades and texture with the different species of animal. Russian sable is by far the most valuable, and the finest skins come from the forests of Yakutsk in Siberia. According to Russian law they are tribute to the Crown, and are therefore not market- able. But the present Emperor, like the two who preceded him, waives this right, and the finest sables all come to the London market, where Russian jobbers bid for them, and take a certain number of skins back for sale at retail prices in St. Petersburg. The best skins are of an ashen brown shade, merging into a dim black towards the back, and the blackest are by far the most valuable. A ready market for this choice fur is also found in New York and Paris. THE PRICE OF SABLES Sable skins of the finest quality are worth at retail price in London from £70 to ;^ioo apiece. And even more may be given if the customer desires the furrier to exercise the right, in accordance with trade custom, of paying ten per cent above market rates in order to ransack not only his own stocks, but all the skins in London, so that he may choose the darkest colour in which it is possible to match the number of skins needed. And the small size of the skins greatly increases the cost of a garment. A sable coat collar is often priced at from /200 to ;^25o ; a large muff formed of eight skins, each skin worth £jo, will fetch ;^56o ; a long coat of average Russian sable is worth from ;^i,50o ; and one made of specially fine skins may cost ;^3,ooo. Sable coats made in Russia are often of historic value, especially what are known as " shubes," the long, large coats that are worn for sledge journeys. One of these, made of black sable, was presented to an English peer by a former Emperor of Russia, and has been handed down as an heirloom in that nobleman's family. This cloak is of dark blue cloth lined with sable, and a piece of the same fur a quarter of a yard deep borders the edge of this costly mantle. There are, of course, cheaper kinds of sable, such as the Hudson Bay variety, obtained from the Canadian market. This fur is also thick and soft, and its colour is warm brown, with a yellowish tinge at the side, and a