Hello, I have a lovely ermine cape with a brown fur trim that I cannot identify. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it. I've looked through all the fur types listed here and am still stumped. It is not terribly thick, is extremely soft, has natural stripes in it, and longer guard hairs.
Thanks!
Can anyone help me identify this fur trim on a 30s-40s ermine cape?
- Thread starter Jen S
- Start date
Thank you for those additional photos. The texture and color of the fur in the first photo you shared looked most like Stone Marten. The coloring of two of the three additional photos you shared looked like Russian Sable. Both Stone Marten and Sable are members of the Marten family. Sable fur feels silky soft and has long almost weightless guardhair. Stone Marten is lighter in color and does not feel as silky soft when you slide your fingers through nor is it as light in weight. Let me show you a close up photo of Stone Marten and a close up photo of Russian Sable to better help you determine which one you have.
1st photo is Stone Marten
2nd photo is Russian Sable
1st photo is Stone Marten
2nd photo is Russian Sable
What a gorgeous cape!
Thank you, Caryn! Your pics are very helpful. I was hoping it might be sable, but honestly it looks more like the stone marten in your cape pictures. However, it is extremely soft and silky. It is lighter in color, though, more like the close-up colors. The picture of the whole cape makes it look darker than it really is. The sable looks denser and darker than the fur on my cape. But I suppose stone marten must be quite a nice fur as well, if that's what it is, because to me it feels much nicer than any other fur I've felt.
Thank you, Mary Jane! Yes, I like it a lot, too
Do you guys think 30s or 40s? I'll post one more pic, and one of the label as well, so you can see.
Thank you, Mary Jane! Yes, I like it a lot, too
Do you guys think 30s or 40s? I'll post one more pic, and one of the label as well, so you can see.
Stone Marten is a very nice fur and it is still soft, just not as soft, silky, and dense as Sable. Russian Sable is the second highest density fur there is. Chinchilla comes 1st having the most fur per square inch.
The texture looks most like Stone Marten. If the true color is closest to the lighter colored photos then the color also looks most like Stone Marten.
In addition Ermine fur was once considered a royalty fur with the white winter Ermine being the most prized.
As for the age; Dein-Bacher of the Waldorf Astoria opened in 1930 so it would have to be post 30s. Fur collars were pretty big and dramatic in the 30s. They were smaller in the 40s, the rest of the style matches, and the silk lining fabric matches that time too so I think this could be a cusper but if I had to go with one era or the other I would say 40s. Here is a piece of their ad for their 27th annual sale in February of 1957.
The texture looks most like Stone Marten. If the true color is closest to the lighter colored photos then the color also looks most like Stone Marten.
In addition Ermine fur was once considered a royalty fur with the white winter Ermine being the most prized.
As for the age; Dein-Bacher of the Waldorf Astoria opened in 1930 so it would have to be post 30s. Fur collars were pretty big and dramatic in the 30s. They were smaller in the 40s, the rest of the style matches, and the silk lining fabric matches that time too so I think this could be a cusper but if I had to go with one era or the other I would say 40s. Here is a piece of their ad for their 27th annual sale in February of 1957.
StelmaDesigns
Alumni +
That is a yummy cape, oh my goodness!
Julia
Julia
So I'm going with stone marten -- Caryn, you're a gem. The true color is definitely lighter, and, since I have felt chinchilla, and this fur is considerably less dense that that, I feel pretty certain from your comment on density that it's not sable. And thank you also for the dating help.
Julia, thanks, that's the exact word I always think of when I look at it -- yummy.
Julia, thanks, that's the exact word I always think of when I look at it -- yummy.