furriers

[Guest]

In the past, furriers used misleading terms to add value to lesser furs.

 

Here is a list:

 

bassarisk labeled as rock sable

striped skunk labeled as Alaska sable

rabbit labeled as sealine, beaverette, chinchillette (sealine might have been

applied to another fur)

spotted skunk labeled as civet cat to give it an exotic allure

muskrat that has been dyed and sheared labeled as Hudson seal or Hudseal

kolinsky labeled as China mink

 

Any more to add?

 

Tricia

Edited February 11, 2013 by Guest

[Worker 11811]

striped skunk labeled as Alaska sable

 

That's almost as bad as calling pigeons "city chicken!"

I didn't even know skunks were native to Alaska!

 

BTW: There really is a dish called "city chicken" but it's made from pork. You put it on a skewer and fry it like chicken.

It's a regional dish. If you've never been to Pittsburgh or the Eastern Great Lakes region, you've probably never heard of it.

It's up there with "ox roast."

 

Alaskan Sable! If somebody tried to pull that shit on me I'd laugh in their face!

 

Strangely enough, there really IS an Alaskan Sable but it's a kind of fish. It's related to the cod. Not kidding! Look it up.

[Guest]

Technically, since pine marten that live in Canada are called Canadian sable in the fur trade, pine marten that live in Alaska can be called Alaska sable.

[grouchomg]

My experience with furriers is limited, but I've come to trust a few to be honest about what is sold. Dino Furs, who services and stores mine, is one of those.

[Guest]

River sable for muskrat. I heard this one from an episode of The Wild Kingdom I saw on YouTube called Puma Pass. Jim Fowler mentions Hudson seal and river sable as two names under which muskrat fur is known.

 

Tricia

[White Fox]

Re pigeons. They are good to eat. I've eaten pigeon lots of times in fact. (Yes that is true!) and (They taste a lot like chicken.)

 

Re strange names for furs. I remember reading a write-up from back maybe in the 60's or so how there was something done to clean up this issue. I don't remember if it was an actual law, but I think that it might have been. Pretty much every furrier was mislabelling things with unusual names in order to sell it. China Mink and Hudson Seal for example. And at that point this was discontinued for some reason all at once. MIGHT have been a law, but I just can't remember.

[Worker 11811]

Common pigeons are also called "rock doves."

 

Contrary to popular belief, they are not vectors of as many diseases as people think. The main threats come from contact with their droppings. Them, again, I don't know many people who relish the thought of touching bird crap.

 

I've had pigeon to eat, too. You wouldn't know it from chicken or game hen unless somebody told you.

The only thing I'd worry about with eating pigeons that live in cities is the garbage they eat.

[AKcoyote]

Mis-labeling of furs to make them seem more valuable still exists. I personally know of one Alaska fur company that continues to label coyote as "Brush Wolf".

[Guest]

The US Congress passed a law in 1951 called The Fur Products Labeling Act to address the mislabeling of furs.

 

Tricia