Help with Fur ID Please

Abby G.

Registered Guest
Hello!
I have recently gone down the rabbit hole of fur capelets, stoles, and coats. In trying to research and become more educated I came across this forum and the wealth of knowledge you all have.
I just purchased my first fur capelet and let me just say, it is now the fanciest thing in my closet, and I want to wear it everywhere ha! It was listed as "vintage", but I think it is a more modern/recent "vintage" (but please correct me if I am wrong.)
I would love help in identifying the type of fur and year if that is possible. It was advertised as mink, but as I've read on the forums here, muskrat seems to be easily mistaken as mink. I also looked at the Fur Resource, but with my ignorance in this field I am just not confident in my ability to correctly identify the fur.
There doesn't seem to be any guard hairs, it is fairly light-weight, and it is ridiculously soft. I will include pictures I downloaded from the original listing as well as the ones I just took upon receiving it (which were not taken in natural light). Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you so much. Mink1.jpg mink2.jpg mink5.jpg mink7.jpg mink8.jpg mink9.jpg mink10.jpg mink12.jpg PXL_20220227_005703869.PORTRAIT.jpg PXL_20220227_005758661.PORTRAIT.jpg PXL_20220227_005844866.PORTRAIT.jpg
 
Thank you for your help! If I may ask, what characteristics lead to that conclusion? I am trying to learn so that I know what to look for in any other future pieces :)
 
Dear Abby,
I worked for a MAJOR fur company and also had my own business in outerwear, so I have years of experience with fur.

The first few photos were dark and it was hard to tell, the photo with more light and the fur fanned out was what told me it was sable.
You must understand it looks very old. Only by seeing different furs can you start to know them.
Do you have a second hand fur shop?
 
Thank you again! I am so new to the world of fur outwear and I am finding all of this fascinating. I do not sell fur (or anything for that matter). This all came about as I was in need of formal attire for a wedding and saw this capelet and thought it was so beautiful. Is there a way you can tell it is old? (I suppose I should ask what is meant by "old" as sometimes the 1990's is referred to as old/vintage ;) ) What were the characteristics you saw in the photo where the capelet was fanned out that shows that it is sable? For instance, if it had been mink, or muskrat, or squirrel, what would you have seen differently to come to that conclusion? (BTW, I am really just quite curious about this and am only asking being I truly am interested in this subject)
I do appreciate you taking the time to help me :)
 
It is a beautiful fur indeed, gorgeous little animals. I would date it to the mid-late 1950s to early 1960s era. Hard to explain, but muskrat and squirrel just do not have the fabulous "glow" and substance of sable and mink. As Bonnie mentioned, it is something that you can only really learn well from years of experience handling furs in person.
 
That makes alot of sense. I can understand how this would be a field that works better with hands-on experience. I may have found a new hobby and a new subject to learn about! Thank you for your help in dating it as well. I was way off thinking it was much more recent (early 1980's-ish maybe).
 
Welcome to our Forums, Abby. You might want to look through the Fur Resource on our website. It's not the same as actually handling the fur, but there is a lot of useful information:

https://vintagefashionguild.org/fur-resource/

You can also do a search for the furrier - the company was in business in Houston from the 1920s. I agree with Barbara that it looks like the stole is from the late 1950s - early 1960s.
 
Linn, thank you so much for letting me be a part of this group. I have really enjoyed reading past threads and gleaning the knowledge from this group. Thanks to all who reached out to me responding to my inquiries and curiosity. I appreciate it :)
 
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