Latest News for Jonval Leathers & Furs

In the last few of blogs Jonval Leathers and Furs moved on from discussing the different types of leather, and started exploring the other side of Jonval Leathers and Furs—furs! We have begun our discussion on the different types of animals the furs for the clothing and accessories come from. 

Similar to leather, you would be surprised to find out just how many types of fur are used for clothing. In this blog series we will describe the fur and what makes it unique, special, or great for a particular type of clothing or accessory. 

Jonval Leathers and Furs began its discussion of the different types of fur starting with beaver fur and then moved onto discussing chinchilla, one of the most coveted and expensive furs. Then, we talked about coyote fur which while not so coveted is still a very warm and pretty fur to wear.

In this last week’s blog, we will move onto our next type of fur, fox fur. The fox can be found all over the world. It is very versatile when it comes to using it for fur in clothing and accessories. This is because it can come in a variety of natural colors.

In this week’s blog, we will continue our discussion on fox fur. We will delve into all the different types of foxes, and therefore, fox fur there are. 

Blue Fox
This fox is ranched almost exclusively and extensively in the Scandinavian region. It can also be considered an Arctic fox. Its color is usually white in the winter and brown in the summer. That sounds off, right, if it is called the blue fox. This is because only about 1% of these foxes are born with the coveted blue fur it is famous for. This blue coat can appear dark blue or grey throughout the year.

Cross Fox
This fox gets its apt name from the cruciform that can usually be found on the top of its head on its neck region. This fox fur will be red with a yellow tint to it. The cross mark on this fox will be more red with some black highlights.

Some of these cross foxes can be silver. When this is the case they take the name of silver cross fox. While unique, these foxes are actually not all that rare. They are pretty common in northern North American and make up about 30% of Canada’s red fox population.

Gray Fox
While rather common, the gray fox is pretty hard to spot because it is so elusive in the wild. These foxes are nocturnal, but may likely forage during the day. These are largely found in North America. The best pelts tend to come from the northern states. The fur colors can range in color from silver to grey and have a slight red tint to it.

There are a few more foxes to explore in the next blog. All are unique in some way and their furs are coveted. Stop by Jonval Leathers and Furs today for all your leather and fur needs. 


 

In the last couple of blogs Jonval Leathers and Furs moved on from discussing the different types of leather, and started exploring the other side of Jonval Leathers and Furs—furs! We began our discussion on the different types of animals the furs for the clothing and accessories come from. 

Similar to leather, you would be surprised to find out just how many types of fur are used for clothing. In this blog series we will describe the fur and what makes it unique, special, or great for a particular type of clothing. 

Jonval Leathers and Furs began its discussion of the different types of fur starting with beaver fur. We then moved on to discussing the next type of fur, chinchilla fur. We discovered that the chinchilla is actually a rodent, like a mouse or a squirrel. It was found high in the Andes mountains of South American, but is now found raised on ranches. 

We also learned that the chinchilla has the densest fur of all fur. This fur is a defense mechanism keeping parasites from attaching the animal. It is this density of fur that makes it such a luxurious and beautiful fur. 

In this week’s blog, we will continue our discussion of chinchilla fur. We will begin with some of its qualities that make it ideal for coats and clothing. 

Color
Chinchilla fur is generally silver on top with a darker undercoat. When this silver color is enhanced with brighteners, it can have the very sought after slate blue color. It is also possible to have a variety of colors with various mutations.  

Expense
Because chinchillas are such tiny animals, it takes a huge amount of them to make one coat. In fact, it may take up to two hundred chinchillas to make just one fur coat. For this reason, it can make purchasing a coat very expensive. It is estimated that to make one waist length chinchilla fur coat it could cost anywhere from $2,500-$25,000. 

Along with taking very many animals to make just one coat, the process to used to make the clothing is time consuming and difficult. This is because chinchilla fur is very fragile and therefore must be tended to very carefully in order to turn it into a coat. 

Benefits
In addition to being so dense and having a beautiful color, chinchilla fur is very warm (because of its denseness.) It is also very light. These two qualities are usually not found together. Either you get warmth and weight, or it is lightweight, but it is not so warm. With chinchilla, you get both together. 

Chinchilla fur is also widely considered some of the softest fur in the world. It can feel silky and luxurious to the touch. It is also hypoallergenic, so no worries about allergies wearing this fur. Chinchilla is widely considered one of the most coveted and expensive furs you could own. 
Read our next blog to discover the next type of fur we will be discussing. For all your fur needs, Jonval Leathers and Furs  has you covered (pun intended).
 

In the last blog Jonval Leathers and Furs moved on from discussing the different types of leather, and started exploring the other side of Jonval Leathers and Furs—furs! We began our discussion on the different types of animals the furs for the clothing and accessories come from. 

Similar to leather, you would be surprised to find out just how many types of fur are used for clothing. In this blog series will describe the fur and what makes it unique, special, or great for a particular type of clothing. 

In last week’s blog, Jonval Leathers and Furs began its discussion of the different types of fur starting with beaver fur. Beavers have some of the most dense hair in all of the animal kingdom. In fact, beavers have some 10,000 hairs per square centimeter. There are a couple different types of beaver fur. We discussed the difference between sheared beaver fur and natural beaver fur.

In this week’s blog, we will move onto the next typeof animal from which great furs are made—chinchilla fur. As a young child, I remember I always wanted a chinchilla as a pet. They were so cute and so soft. It is that softness that makes this fur so sought after and expensive (well, that and the size of each tiny animal, meaning that many, many chinchillas are needed to make just one fur coat.)

What is a Chinchilla?
Believe it or not, a chinchilla is actually classified as a rodent. Yep, just like rats, or squirrels, or prairie dogs, a chinchilla is in the same family of rodents. They are native to the high Andes of South America. The indigenous people there used to use their fur as cloth. This include the Incas and the early Spaniards who ended up defeating the Incas.

Popularity
As the Spaniards brought back to Europe furs made of this tiny creature, news spread and its popularity took off. So much so, that by 1914 the chinchilla was nearly extinct. In fact, these days, all chinchillas are raised on ranches, rather than roaming freely in the Andes.

A handful of breeding pairs of chinchillas where brought to the states in 1924. It is from these few chinchillas, that The United States in now breeding them. All of this information explains why, in my nearly two years living and teaching in Chile, I never once stumbled upon a chinchilla in the wild (que lastima!)

The Fur
When we speak about fur, we speak about its denseness, like we did with beaver which has one of the densest furs. Yet, it is the chinchilla that has the densest furs of all animals. It has more than 20,000 hairs per square centimeter (whoa!) Having hair this dense is a defense mechanism for the chinchilla. It keeps parasites, such as fleas, from bothering the animal.  


We still have a lot more to uncover about the beautiful chinchilla and its lovely fun. For all your fur needs, Jonval Leathers and Furs  has you covered (pun intended).
 

In the past many blogs Jonval Leathers and Furs explored all the different types of leather that can be used in your leather products. I had no idea how many types there are. Eighteen, in fact! Now we move onto fur—the other product that Jonval is famous for.

Similar to leather, you would be surprised to find out just how many types of fur are used for clothing. In this blog series will describe the fur and what makes it unique, special, or great for a particular type of clothing. 

In this week’s blog, Jonval Leathers and Furs will begin its discussion of the different types of fur starting with beaver fur. Beavers have some of the most dense hair in all of the animal kingdom. In fact, beavers have some 10,000 hairs per square centimeter. There are a couple different types of beaver fur. We will start with sheared beaver fur.

Sheared beaver fur
This fur is the fur you are probably familiar with when you think of beaver fur. This shearer fur is a short hair fur that is free from guard hairs. This makes it more dense and softer to the touch (this is what we want in fur, am I right?) 

This sheared beaver fur is great for and often used for in fashion garments. It provides a lot of warmth and can be a very elegant look in fashionable clothing. The natural color of this fur is often dyed a variety of colors such as darker brown, beige, or even white. 

This fur can mat when wet, so be careful when around water. It is important that you maintain it by giving it at least a once a year cleaning. It is a great thing, then, that Jonval Leathers and Furs offers cleaning and storage services for you. 

Natural beaver fur
Now, let’s compare this sheared beaver fur to a natural beaver fur. Natural beaver fur as an entirely different look. This fur will have long guard hairs that give the fur a luxurious sheen. We think this fur is great for men’s garments, such as coats, because it gives it a natural, rugged look. 

Along with men’s coats, natural beaver also makes striking casual wear for both mean and women. It is a very durable fur. It is generally brown in color, but it can also be dyed other colors to suit your whimsy. 

Cost
When we consider the cost of furs in general, we must consider how many animals it will take to make whatever article of clothing we need. For example, you must consider whether you want a full length, mid length or midi length coat or other garment. So while the cost of one beaver fur, may sound cheap, you must consider how many beaver furs you need to make a complete garment. 


We are just beginning to explore all the different types of furs that are used to make excellent clothing and accessories. For all your fur needs, Jonval Leathers and Furs  has you covered.
 

In the last few blogs Jonval Leathers and Furs discussed all the many factors that affect the quality of leather. In these next few blogs, we will discuss all of the different types of leather that result from the different qualities of leather.

I, for one, had no idea there were so many different types of leather. Last week we talked about pigmented leather. We learned that pigmented leather is a lower quality of leather, yet still very durable. It is often used in furniture and comes in a variety of colors. 

In this week’s blog, Jonval Leathers and Furs will discuss the next few types of leather, crust and embossed leather. Crust leather is leather that tanned and dried. However, this crust leather is not dyed like pigmented leather tends to be. 

As we learned with chrome and non chrome leather in a pervious blog, the tanning process is often what determines the type of leather. With crust leather, there are two types of tanning processes resulting in two types of crust leather. These leathers are either vegetable crust or chrome crust.

Crust leather is usually dyed and finished before it is processed. If it is not dyed, crust leather is usually a neutral beige in color. Because it starts as this neutral color, it is easy to hand dye it to suit one’s needs. When hand dying products such as shoes, belts, and purses, it is possible to make unique and one of a kind designs and colors.

The next type of leather Jonval Leather and Furs will discuss is embossed leather. This leather is embossed or imprinted with artificial, yet unique designs. This process uses high pressure and heat to imprint these patterns onto the leather. Combining this heat and pressure with steel plates with specific engrave designs.

There are three types of embossing. They include color imprint, blind embossing, and gold embossing. Blind embossing is imprinting a pattern without any color. While gold embossing uses gold films to imprint the patter. Of course, color embossing uses color films to do the imprinting onto the leather. 

 
When I think of embossed leather, I often envision the lovely purses I could never afford at all the markets I visited when traveling through Central America. They were beautiful leather purses with flowers and mountains and butterflies throughout the outside of the purse. They were intricate and detailed and timeless. Man, I wish I could have afforded one back then.

Along with purses and bags, embossed leather can be found on nearly any leather product. Some products might be fine leather journals, detailed leather furniture, and luxury leather accessories. 

Embossing leather is a great way to personalize your leather products. If you are looking for something unique and suited just to you, you may want to think about looking into embossed leather. You could even take leather products you already have and see about having them embossed to your liking. 

We have explored many types of leathers, and many of these leathers can be found at Jonval Leathers and Furs. Stop in soon to explore all your leather and fur needs.