Every woman dreams of becoming the owner of a beautiful, soft and warm mink coat. Women's love for fur has been known since ancient times. And it doesn’t matter at all in what part of the world a woman lives, be it distant Siberia or a hot country, a mink coat remains a desired gift for everyone. But choosing a product is a big problem, since it is very difficult to buy truly high-quality and good mink.
How to define quality?
Therefore, let's try to figure out how to determine the quality of a mink coat and how to identify a fake mink coat. Any woman, before purchasing, first looks at the external characteristics of the product, and only then at the quality. And this is natural, because before we try on something, we should like it. Let's dwell a little on some of the nuances when choosing models.
Choosing a fur coat
To begin with, it’s worth focusing on the style. The stores offer a wide variety of models, but each has its own advantages and suits a certain type of woman. For example, short, plump women should not choose elongated models, as the product will strongly emphasize their short stature and figure. It is worth choosing short styles to the knees.
Determining quality
How to identify a mink coat? When choosing, be sure to pay attention to the color of the fur. It’s no secret that mink coats are most often dyed, and therefore you need to know how to distinguish high-quality mink from low-quality ones. Remember that saturated colors from fur fade very quickly and acquire an unpleasant yellow tint.
If you expect to wear a fur coat for many years, then you should opt for a light-colored fur coat. It is also important that fur coats in light shades are cheaper than dark brown or black fur coats.
To purchase a high-quality mink coat, and not a fake, carefully read the largest mink fur manufacturers.
Scandinavian mink
This is incredibly beautiful, high-quality fur, and it is very popular. Approximately 80% of the fur sold in the world is mink from Scandinavia. This is a very warm and cozy fur with a thick underfur. The second name of the Scandinavian mink is “black diamond”. And this is completely justified; if you decide to buy yourself a fur coat from this fur, you can be sure that you are not giving your money away in vain.
Black mink
Natural black mink is the most beautiful and most popular. It is produced in Denmark, Finland, Canada and the USA. High quality natural black mink is sold under the following brands:
“Scanblack” - Scandinavian natural black mink is sold under this name. In fact, this is the brand under which black mink is sold only at the Finnish fur auction. But this is often the name given to Danish mink, which is sold at the Copenhagen fur auction.
“Blackglama” - under this brand, natural black North American mink raised by both Canadian and American farmers is sold at the American Legend fur auction (Seattle, USA). This brand is assigned only to natural, undyed, and only black mink that meets the highest quality standards. Sometimes the brand is incorrectly called "blacklama".
“Blacknafa” - under this brand at the NAFA fur auction (Toronto, Canada) the same natural black North American mink raised by both Canadian and American farmers is sold. And also this brand is assigned only to natural, not dyed, and only black mink that meets the highest quality standards.
In fact, both blackglama and blacknafa are the same North American natural black mink, the only difference is that it was sold at different auctions. Mink sold under the blackglama brand is somewhat more expensive due to its more popular brand.
Blackglama is one of the most counterfeited fur brands. Since most buyers have never seen real blackglama, but have often heard about it, sellers without a twinge of conscience call any black mink blackglama, including dyed and tinted ones. The vast majority of black mink coats sold are heavily tinted or dyed cheap Chinese dark brown mink. There are several ways to verify the authenticity of Blackglama mink, but even they cannot guarantee that the fur coat you purchased is from real Blackglama.
There is also the so-called “black diamond”. Dyed or tinted black mink is usually sold under this name, and very rarely natural scanblack. Among furriers and specialists, the name “black diamond” mink does not exist.
wild mink
Products made from this fur are very expensive, since wild mink itself is very rare. It has a very long pile, similar to sable. You won't find dyed wild mink anywhere; it comes in only one color - dark gray-brown. To distinguish a real wild mink from a fake, pay attention to the underfur; its color should be light. The high cost of products made from wild mink is explained by the fact that this fur has many defects, so a larger number of skins are used in the manufacture of fur coats.
Features of a Russian mink fur coat
Russian mink has a fluffy undercoat, which makes the product warmer. The technological process for making a fur coat from Russian fur is simpler and in some respects does not meet European standards. Therefore, products from Russian factories are more budget-friendly and affordable.
Fashion models
To get a quality item at a good price, it is better to purchase fur coats from large factories. Fur from Russian manufacturers is highly wear-resistant. In the assortment of stores you can find exquisite and original models of Russian mink, which no woman can resist.
Gray mink
Chinese mink
If you still decide to buy a “Chinese” product, we advise you not to buy the product in the markets. Because the Chinese themselves are very fond of mink fur products, so they sell high-quality products for a lot of money and only in specialized stores. Products of low quality end up in the bazaars. The Chinese specially stretch mink to save on material, as a result of which, after several years of wear, the product unravels and breaks. In addition, fake mink coats from China are not warm at all.
Plucked and shorn mink
Pinching a mink is a fairly expensive operation. In a plucked mink, the entire guard hair is removed, and then the underfur is trimmed a little to even it out. The technology is simpler - immediately trim both the underfur and the guard hair. If a mink is cut short, the skin will look like suede; in this case, the skins are usually painted so that the inside is not visible.
But despite the fact that the operations of pinching and shearing mink are not cheap, products made from such mink are usually cheaper than products made from natural fur. The reason for the low cost is that only low-grade mink is used for shearing and pinching. Thanks to this treatment, fur defects on low-grade mink become invisible. When shearing and plucking, the unevenness of the guard hairs disappears, and if the cut fur is also dyed along with the flesh, the weak underfur of the skin will not be noticeable.
There is no point in shearing and plucking high-quality mink, the cost of the skin will increase, and the end result, whether from high-quality or low-grade mink, will be practically the same; only a specialist can see the difference. Almost all of the sheared and plucked mink fur coats we sell are made from cheap Chinese mink. Despite the assurances of sellers that plucking and shearing increases the status of fur, in fact, shearing and plucking are mainly used only for “fur consumer goods.” Expensive brands very rarely use these fur processing technologies. Plucked and shorn fur coats have lower durability, since the underfur is very delicate, it easily wrinkles and gets damaged. The fur coat loses its attractive appearance.
Greek and Italian fur coats
As you know, mink is not found in these countries and is not even bred there. But local craftsmen know how to create real works of art from mink fur. The quality of Greek and Italian products amazes everyone. Therefore, in many countries special tours for fur coats are organized. Because this is where you can buy mink coats at a big discount.
If you want to buy a high-quality, warm and beautiful fur coat, do not rush to buy it in the markets. Since they most often sell fakes there, although much cheaper than in the store. If you have a limited budget, then you should wait for discount months and buy a high-quality fur coat in a salon. Fur coat sales are especially common in the summer or at the end of winter.
If you want to buy a really high-quality mink fur coat, then pay attention to the following points.
How to recognize a quality product
- The underfur of the product should have a brown tint, in no case yellow.
- The leather of the fur coat should be white and free of stains and unpleasant odor.
- The fur itself should be shiny, smooth and pleasant to the touch.
- Try running your hand against the growth of the pile. On a high-quality fur coat, the fur should immediately restore its previous appearance.
- Look at the seams. If you purchase a fur coat from pieces, then they should be stitched, not glued. Glued fur coats wear out and deteriorate very quickly, especially in wet winters.
- Gently wipe the fur with a damp cloth. If traces of paint appear on it, then you have “painting”, and not of very high quality. You should not buy such a product.
Here are some tips that should help when choosing a fur coat. To identify a good mink coat and not buy a fake, familiarize yourself with the various models and styles in advance. Look on the Internet and on store websites for photos of various models. This will help you not only visually estimate the mink you are wearing, but also figure out which fur coats are of high quality and which ones are not worth paying attention to.
Scandinavian mink fur
Scandinavian mink today is the name for fur that occupies more than 80% of the total world market. There are two types of mink fur, named after the place where the animals were bred - Danish and Finnish. They both have soft, delicate guard hair and thick, luxurious underfur. Danish ones have shorter piles, while Finnish ones have longer ones.
The sale of 80% of Danish furs is handled by the Copenhagen Fur Auction, labeling them Kopenhagen Furs. Finnish mink is sold in Helsinki under the Saga Furs brand.
The Scandinavian mink is a descendant of the American mink, introduced at the beginning of the last century and successfully adapted to living conditions. Today, thanks to the efforts of Finnish and Danish breeders, the family of Scandinavian animals is the largest. The color of the mink fur in it varies from luxurious “black diamond” to exotic jaguar. All of them have an even length and a special density of guard hairs.
It was here that animals with rare blue and white fur appeared. The unique “stardust” color, gray with small splashes of dazzling white fibers, is the result of a rare mutation and belongs to the premium class. It is extremely expensive on the world market, just like the “polar mink” with luxurious brown thick fur reminiscent of sable.
As a result of mutations, in 1929 the first Russian minks with a pile of pure gray and gray-blue shades appeared, which were called Silverblue. They were bred by Scandinavian scientists.
The Scandinavian group is famous for its primary fur colors:
- black – scanblack;
- classic brown - scanbrown or walnut;
- light nutty, with a hint of hot chocolate – scanglow;
- rich brown, with a reddish undertone – mahogany;
- light brown – pastel;
- light beige – pearls;
- creamy, almost white – palomino;
- gray-blue – sapphire;
- pale blue – violet;
- gray – blue iris;
- lilac with light underfur – lavender;
- white – white;
- white with a black stripe along the ridge - black cross;
- white with black spots - jaguar.
Scandinavian mink skins are difficult to counterfeit, as defects will be immediately obvious. The originals have uniform smooth fur, even tone, metallic luster with a uniform diamond tint.
The Diana Furs assortment includes elite fur clothing from famous brands and inexpensive Chinese fur clothing made from high-quality mink. Each fur coat is certified and has a warranty from the manufacturer.
