How to distinguish natural mink fur from a fake? Criteria for distinguishing a mink coat from a fake With whom the mink is crossed for fur coats

01.07.2020

According to statistics, every fourth fur coat is either fake or defective. The main disadvantages of fur coats can be bald spots, improper selection of skins, wiped pile or unprocessed lining.

Buying a quality fur coat - be careful, cheating!

The most unpleasant thing about purchasing a fur coat is that unscrupulous manufacturers of fur products sometimes go for outright deception, passing off one thing for another: a dyed rabbit for a mink, a fox and polar fox for a silver fox, and a beaver for nutria. A fur coat is far from a cheap pleasure, therefore, it is quite natural that any customer wants to get a high-quality product, to match the money paid for it. To buy yourself a truly high-quality fur coat that will warm not only your body, but also your soul, you need to know how to distinguish rabbit fur from mink and be able to easily recognize a fake.

Selfish interest

Mink fur differs from dyed rabbit in rather coarse hair, but not prickly. Therefore, a mink coat serves its mistress for at least ten years, and the rabbit's hair is soft, so the product from it quickly “bald” and rubbed off.

The people believe that really good fur is easy to recognize: you absolutely do not want to let go of it. Experts advise not only to hold the fur coat in your hands, but also to carry out several tests with it. Feel free to do this, because you, as a customer, have every right to do so.

Swipe up sharply from the bottom to the top of the skin. If the villi fell off or did you have to smooth them with the palm of your hand to restore them to their previous shape? Most likely, the fur is of poor quality or it was stored incorrectly (in an unventilated room, in a warm place, folded).

Pay attention to how the hair of the fur coat lies. A good pile should only lie in one direction.

Bring your fur coat to any source of color. The mink fur plays, shimmers and shines, while the hare fur coat will remain dull. In a couple of seasons, a fur coat from this fur will turn into an ugly, disheveled garment a la "my grandmother still wore".

Part the nap of the fur coat and look at the short hair at the base or under the puffs. The smoother and thicker it is, the warmer the fur coat. "Liquid" padding can have a bad effect on the heat-saving properties of a fur product. It usually indicates that the skin was specially stretched during dressing in order to reduce the cost of the product, or this fur was collected during the period of active molting of the animal.

Blow on the fur to check for lint sticking.

The color of the product is also of great importance. To distinguish rabbit fur from mink, you need to know that bad skins are often dyed black to hide various defects. To understand the durability of the color of the fur, run a wet handkerchief over it - in no case should there be colored traces on it. What will happen to such a fur coat, if it gets caught in rain or snow?

The next stage of the check is the inspection of the flesh. No, this is not a curse at all, but the name of the lower layer of the skin. The flesh should be light, clean and soft. The lining of the fur coat should not be sewn onto the hide. To distinguish rabbit fur from mink, peel back the lining and remember the flesh in your hands - is there any rustling? The presence of this means that the furriers have probably gone too far with the chemical treatment of the product or it has been soaked. By the way, since you looked under the lining, check the quality of the seams at the same time. Pieces of skin should smoothly and gracefully pass from one to another, and the threads should in no case stick out at random.

The most expensive mink is the so-called "black diamond" type, the color of which is usually black with a purple or blue tint. It is most often counterfeited by dyeing cheaper fur, including rabbit fur. To immediately distinguish such a fake, take a look at the skin color - it must necessarily be white.

Now you know how to distinguish rabbit fur from mink and you will not fall for the tricks of scammers.

Modern technologies for dressing skins and processing natural fur make it possible to achieve a very effective appearance of fur products.

Some types of cheap fur are sometimes subjected to such processing as dyeing, toning, shearing, trimming, after which the fur becomes similar to more expensive, imitating its appearance. So, for example, fur of a rabbit, marmot or honorik is sometimes given out for a natural mink.

In this article, we will tell you how to distinguish real mink from imitation and make sure of its quality.

Marmot. A marmot, well dressed and dyed in a color that matches the natural dark brown color of the mink fur, can indeed be mistaken for a mink at first sight. But if you pay a little more attention to it, then you can notice quite obvious signs of a fake:

The length and thickness of the guard hairs in a marmot is not the same - this is noticeable if you stroke it against the fur. In mink, the awn is uniform over the entire surface of the skin.
The same technique will reveal that the marmot fur is shaggy and does not return to its original state. Mink fur is more plastic, it is practically not affected by creasing.
A mink-dyed marmot will have a bluish purple tint that is noticeable in bright light, while a dark natural mink will always have a brown tint and an even silky sheen.

Rabbit. Most often, a sheared rabbit is passed off as a plucked or sheared mink, taking advantage of the similarity of the underfurs of the mink and rabbit fur. The rabbit is almost devoid of underfur, but if you cut it, it will look like a mink.

The underfloor of the mink is elastic and does not lend itself to creasing, while thin, prone to damage, rabbit fur is much thinner and softer: it is easy to wrinkle, after getting wet it loses its appearance, the skins quickly "go bald" during wear.

Honorik. This is a close "relative" of the mink - an animal obtained by crossing a mink and a ferret. Currently, it is bred in few places, but still it is worth being able to distinguish between honorik fur and mink:

If the fur coat is made of whole hides of honorik, you will be struck by their large size, because the honorik is much larger than the mink.
The color of the honoric fur is distinguished by a large difference in shades of light underfur and dark awn. The color of the mink underfur is slightly lighter than the guard fur or has the same color.

Have you come to choose and buy a natural mink fur coat? Here are some tips to look out for when assessing its quality:

Look at the fur. Natural mink fur has a uniform silky sheen. The guard hairs are of the same length, fluffy, do not stray into icicles.
Spread the underfur: it should be equally dense, and the flesh (skin) under it should be light, unless the fur coat is declared as dyed.
Pat the fur with the palm of your hand on the coat and against the coat. The natural mink is silky to the touch, the awn does not prick, and the fur crumpled against the fur quickly returns to its original appearance.
Shake the fur coat. The outer fur should not crumble, and the flesh should not crunch.

The safest way to choose quality natural mink is to shop at a store that has a long-standing reputation as a reliable seller of quality mink coats. It is always possible to contact the administration of such a store directly on assortment and quality issues!

The "Fur Academy" company also draws your attention to the control identification marks with electronic chips, which are included in each fur coat sold under the "Fur Academy" brand. The chips contain comprehensive information about the origin of the fur coat that you are going to buy, which means they guarantee factory production and high quality of the product.

Mink products have long been considered a luxury item, but in addition to their high-profile status, mink has a number of advantages - lightness, wear, heat resistance.
The mink product is in high demand in the market. Mink fur products lend themselves well to drapery, so the clothes have a graceful silhouette. How to identify mink fur is the most important question for anyone who wants to purchase a fur product.

At All-Russian exhibitions and annual sales, many manufacturers present a large assortment of fur products, but, unfortunately, not everyone is ready to admit that the goods they sell do not have the status of a "good product", and often completely violate the current requirements of GOST. Sellers often convince that mink is in a top-class product, at an auction, with documents and certificates.

Fur sellers have a lot of tricks and traps for an unknowing buyer, especially those who do not know how to identify mink fur have a hard time.

These gimmicks range from raising prices, offering good discounts, to questionable documentation about a vendor that is considered a well-known brand name.

If the decision to purchase a mink product is made, then it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with how to determine the mink fur.

Attention! It is important to know that when selling, the seller must provide a document on the delivery of fur goods, a cash and sales receipt or a receipt on a strict reporting form.

Natural mink skins are monochromatic, but with different color intensity, have a natural shine

The check must contain the following: article, product name and cost.

Minks will need:

ordinary magnifying glass;
matches or lighter;
Eyebrow Tweezers.

In appearance, a dark natural mink fur coat can often be distinguished visually from an artificial one.

And you can start practical steps on how to determine the quality of mink fur:

First of all, you need to make sure that it is the mink fur that is being checked, and not any other fur. To do this, put the mink product on a flat horizontal surface. Like precious stones, natural fur cannot be without any minor defects. Natural mink skins should be uniform in color, but with different color intensity. Faux fur is too uniform in color.
Using a magnifying glass, you need to examine individual hairs. Animal hair, however, like human hair, has an uneven shade, the hairs differ in thickness. From root to tip, each individual hair gains color intensity and tapers. Artificial hair has a uniform color and one thickness.

The quality of the fur can be determined by the amount of pile fallen out, its length and structure.

Using tweezers, you need to pull out a few hairs from the mink coat and hold it over the flame from the match. Faux fur does not burn, but melts and has an unpleasant chemical odor. Natural fur will crackle over the fire and smell of burnt hair. Mink fur is closest to furs such as sable and muskrat. The mink differs from the muskrat in the smoothness of its fur and a large number of guard hairs. And also the mink fur seems to be oily, i.e. has natural moisture, which cannot be said about muskrat fur.

Mink is a light fur. The fur of the females is smoother and more silky. In males, the fur is slightly heavier, slightly coarser and not as silky.
And one more point, how to define high-quality mink fur. In some cases, the mink can be dyed. The fur is usually dyed to hide any imperfections. can significantly reduce the wearing period of a fur coat. Natural mink color - shades of brown, pastel shades from blue to caramel, shades of gray. Natural mink has a peculiar striped pattern.

Natural mink shades

Considerable attention should be paid to the back of the skin tissue. It should be soft and velvety. As a standard, mink garments have a double lining - woolen, to keep it warm, and satin.

A high-quality fur coat has an open part of the lining, so you can check the product from the inside

Mink fur can also be distinguished by price. A really high quality and real mink will not have an underestimated cost.

Important! If the price for your chosen mink product is much lower than for similar products, this is the first reason to think about the naturalness and quality of the product.

How to identify real mink fur and distinguish it from fake

The main difference is the price. It is impossible to buy a quality mink coat for next to nothing. Don't buy into the tempting prices of market sellers. For a low cost, you can purchase an imitation mink fur or a fake from a cheaper material. It is better to buy a quality product in a well-known store that has managed to establish itself in this industry; you can also get a purchase guarantee and practical advice on the care of the product in the store.
Before identifying natural mink fur on a fur coat, study the special markings. Fur marking is a special label that indicates:

The marking must contain the individual number of the fur product.

country of the brand;
country of origin;
Name of product;
type of fur;
brand;
number of the declaration of conformity.

Marking a fur coat these days is a kind of quality mark, by which you can both determine the mink fur and gain confidence in the purchase.

Mink coats are every woman's dream, regardless of her age and status. Today there is a wide selection of different models, so choosing a really high-quality option is not so easy. Due to the fact that there are fakes of mink fur on the market, women can get into a very unpleasant situation. To prevent this from happening, you need to know how to determine the quality of a mink coat.

Possible defects

You can avoid buying a fake if you know the common defects in mink fur. This should include:

Uneven fur color, fading, abrasions. All these flaws indicate that old and low-quality fur was used for sewing.
Not sure how to check the quality? Then inspect the fur coat for red spots. If they happen, then this suggests that the animals were kept in iron cages. Rest assured that getting rid of these stains is simply impossible.
Fur villi stick together, there is no gloss and gloss. These defects indicate that the technology was not precisely followed during manufacture.
The villi have an uneven surface. Their appearance is similar to the result of a poor-quality haircut. Most likely, the fur was spoiled by animals. There is also no way to get rid of such a flaw.
How can you check the quality of your mink coat? You just need to feel it. If you get the feeling that you are touching parchment paper, then the fur is dry. Such a product will quickly crack and creep.

If there is at least one of the flaws presented, then it is better to refuse to purchase this product.

Verification methods

There are certain secrets about how to test a mink coat. Today, many unscrupulous manufacturers are trying in every possible way to disguise the existing flaw. They paint the burnt-out parts of the villi or cover them with a special varnish, which gives the product a gloss and shine.

How to check the quality of a mink fur coat? It is enough to use the following recommendations:

Take your palm and hold it against the growth of the pile. If the fur is of high quality, then after such a procedure it will be able to return to its previous position. There will be no dents or hair breaks. And there should be no fluff or lint on the hands.
How to tell good from bad? Just part the hairs of the fur and inspect the color of the flesh. If the product is of high quality, then it should be light. But the brown color indicates that the villi were colored. A darkened color of the skin indicates incorrect storage of the product. The reverse part of the skin will allow you to determine this.
The joints of the skins of a high-quality fur coat should not be noticeable during external examination. They also need to be more accurate. And you can check this by pulling them in different directions. The joints of the skins can be seen in the shoulder and collar area. The seams should be made with strong threads.
How to distinguish quality from poor quality? Take a regular needle and insert it from the wrong side. Then pull. The hole formed should not increase in diameter.
The undercoat should be soft and dense. If you run your hand over it, you should create a feeling of softness, but not prickly.
How to identify a mink coat? Just rub the skin with a slightly damp cloth. After such actions, there should be no various traces of painting. There are situations when manufacturers subject it to tint. This gives it an auxiliary and beautiful overflow. But the applied coating should not only be resistant, but also leave no traces.
The top hair should be of equal length. If there are protruding villi on winter clothes, then the fur should be sheared. Such a product cannot be called high-quality.
You can understand how high-quality mink coats are by your scent. It must not give off animal or chemical odors. A slight smell of the cleaning compound is possible.

Useful tips when buying a fur product, details in the video:

Lining quality

When buying outerwear from mink fur, it is important to pay attention not only to the condition of the fur, but also to the lining. If the product is really of high quality, then you should pay attention to the following points:

Sewn from a material of high durability and excellent quality. Most often, natural silk is used.
It exactly repeats the cut of outerwear. When worn, the movement is free, and the fur itself does not puff up.
The lower part of the outer garment is loose, not attached to the fur coat. Without much difficulty, you can get to the seamy side of the skins.
The seams are well processed, they are distinguished by straight lines and durability.
Cord trim along the edge.

Mink types

A wide selection of mink allows you to sew a fur coat that will be ideal for wearing it in a certain climatic zone.

Russian

This fur remains one of the warmest for many years. It features a high awn and underfur, so that its appearance seems a little tousled. Its cost is quite affordable, and the assortment is wide.

Scandinavian

This type of mink makes up 80% of all fur sold in the world. It is characterized by a medium awn and dense underfur. How to identify mink fur? It's very simple: you need to inspect its surfaces. Scandinavian fur has a chic shine, due to which the product is popularly called "black diamond".

Chinese

For those who do not understand how to determine a good mink coat, it is worth remembering one rule: do not purchase Chinese-made products in the markets. High-quality mink is made in China, but the increased demand does not allow it to be exported outside the country. Only low-quality budget products are sent abroad. In addition, the Chinese manufacturers stretch the fur, as a result of which it becomes brittle, the service life is reduced and, as a result, does not heat.

North American

It is very easy to determine the quality of fur. It has a low pile, but the gloss is completely absent. Most often, such a product is called velvet. The peculiarity of the North American mink is that it is excellent for the harsh Russian winters.

Wild

How to check for quality? Do not think that the more expensive it is, the better the quality. This type of fur is considered rare. It is characterized by a long pile, almost the same as that of a sable. Its color is dark gray-brown. It also differs in a light underfur. Wild fur has a lot of flaws, because a large number of skins are required to obtain a fur coat. Consequently, the price of such products is high.

Italian and Greek

Mink is not raised in Italy. But this does not prevent local craftsmen from creating excellent samples with original designs. Currently, the quality of such fur coats pleases all fashionistas both in Russia and abroad. If you do not understand how to correctly determine the quality of a mink coat, then you should buy such clothes in stores at fur factories.

Mink fur is in great demand today when sewing winter clothes. But due to the high competition in the market, some manufacturers resort to certain tricks. They reduce the cost of the product, since they themselves acquire a low-quality product. In order not to fall for the tricks of scammers, it is necessary to learn how to identify high-quality fur. This is not difficult, but it will protect you from counterfeiting and financial waste.

How to choose a quality product, details in the video:

Sellers of fur products are ready to go to any tricks in order to sell goods, including low-quality ones. They offer all kinds of discounts, gifts, free dry cleaning. But do not fall for these tricks, otherwise you may be very disappointed after the purchase.

Mink mittens: heated status

Remember the immutable postulate of every true lady? A woman is always given hands. By how well-groomed they are, a careful look can "calculate" both age and status, and even habits and lifestyle.

Tatiana Bashlykova

It has already been verified that a high-quality mink fur coat, with proper care, can serve the owner for ten seasons. This is pleasing, because a product made from such fur is not cheap. It is better to purchase a fur coat in specialized salons, then the likelihood of buying a low-quality thing is significantly reduced.

Rules for choosing a fur coat

In order for a fur thing to look like new for several seasons, it is necessary to adhere to several rules when buying.

1. The fur should be shiny and thick. To determine this, you just need to carefully feel the product: the fur should be dense, and the skin should be thick.

2. The next step in checking the quality of a mink coat should be to examine it in the light. At the same time, good fur will shimmer and flow. Immediately it is necessary to smell the product, the fur coat should not have any foreign odors, give off mustiness.

3. The mink must not shed! This is easy to check: you just have to run a wet hand over the fur coat, no hairs should remain in the palm of your hand.

4. The fur should not break, even if it is folded in half, the undercoat of a quality product will certainly be thick.

5. The product should not crunch when it is crushed in hands. If, nevertheless, this happens, you can safely refuse to buy, because the flesh of such a thing is overdried, and this will lead to rapid wear and tear already in the first season.

6. An honest manufacturer never sews a lining to a mink coat. This makes it possible to evaluate the inside of the product. If there are uneven seams, the pieces of fur are taut, there are tears, the thing will not last long. And you shouldn't spend money on it.

7. The highest quality and most expensive fur coats are considered, sewn from unpainted fur. This is very easy to determine, just blow on the fur and look at the flesh. If it is light, the fur is of natural color.

8. Some unscrupulous manufacturers simply alter old products, passing them off as trendy things. But even this is easy to determine: in this case, the pieces of mink will be of different sizes, uneven in color, and the fur may fall out in shreds.

Knowing these details, you can easily distinguish a low-quality product from a good mink coat on your own. When buying, you should not be guided only by the recommendations of the seller, because his main goal is to sell his goods.