The fur you choose will depend upon many factors of which quality, craftsmanship, style, sweep, length, colour, number of pelts and price are some to consider. Most furs can be styled in any number of ways. Mink, for example, can be casual or dressy. The pelts may be farmed or wild. They can be worked "let-out," "split" or "skin-on-skin." The colour may be completely natural, lightly "touched" or unabashedly dyed in a dazzling array of new colours. Mink may even be plucked and sheared, like beaver, for an extraordinarily soft and supple effect. Here are some characteristics of the most abundant furs. This list will be helpful when selecting the fur best suited for you:

Badger - An extremely durable fur. Badger is quite heavy, warm and rugged. Sometimes it is worked together with other furs to give a softer effect. The long silvery guard hair covers a dense underfur, which should be white or tan.

Beaver - The fur upon which the Canadian fur trade was built. Canadian beaver is still renowned for its exceptional quality. Despite hundreds of years of use, beaver is abundant all across its traditional range - a tribute to Canada's modern fur management programs. Beaver can be plucked and sheared to reveal an amazingly thick soft underfur, the secret of its warmth. Or the fur can be left "natural," its lustrous guardhair giving a completely different look and feel.

Calf - Lightweight and sporty. Look for brightly lustered, supple pelts with attractive markings and coloration.

ChinChilla - Originally from the mountains of South America, chinchilla used in the fur trade are now almost wholly farm-raised. Most pelts are slate-blue, although other natural colours are becoming more widely available. The fur is very lightweight and remarkably soft, dense and silky.

Coyote - Now enjoying more popularity than ever, with both men and women. Warmth, durability and a sporty look. The finest coyote is well covered with long, lustrous guardhairs over dense, soft underfur. Colours range from pale grey to tan. Brightness is sometimes added by working with white fox.

Fisher - An exquisite Canadian fur. With relatively large hunting territories and low reproductive rates, fisher is not as common as some other furbearers, but careful management practices have made this fur more readily available than in past decades. Guardhairs are silky over a very dense underfur. Rich dark browns to almost black. Few furs can match the luxurious beauty of fine fisher, for both men and women.

Fitch - Look for a silky texture and clear colours when choosing fitch. Colours range from ecru to orange, with black markings. Most fitch today is farm-raised.

Fox - Most wild Canadian foxes are a clear brilliant red. The winter phase of the Arctic fox, however, is almost pure white. In addition, farmed foxes are now available in a wide range of natural colours, to which the dyer's art has added a full palate of blushes, tints and hues. The world's first farmed foxes were the black and "silver" varieties raised on Prince Edward Island, at the beginning of this century. When choosing fox, look for long silky guardhairs and soft dense underfur.

Kid - Sometimes patterned to imitate Broadtail, kid should be silky with a short, flat, even texture. Most kid is imported from China, Ethiopia and South America.

Lamb - This is actually a group of furs encompassing a wide variety of weights, textures and prices. From rugged, water-repellent sheared Mouton, to playful, curly Mongolian, to elegant "Persian" karakul, "Broadtail" and Swakara.

Lynx - One of the most distinctively Canadian furs. Soft silky fur with magnificent colour and markings have made lynx one of the most desired furs in recent years.

Marmot - Warm, thick-furred and quite coarse. Marmot may be natural or dyed in a range of colours. As with most furs, one looks for "bluish" as opposed to "reddish" tones in natural pelts.

Marten - This North American cousin of the Russian sable remains one of the most exquisite of furs. Long silky guardhair with dense soft underfur. Look for clarity of colour and soft, supple texture.

Mink - Still the queen of furs. Extensively farmed in North America, the Soviet Union and Scandinavia, more mink are used in the fur trade than any other single fur. Always popular and worked in a complete range of styles, from casual to dressy. Guard hairs shine with an unmistakable lustre; underfur should be lush and soft. Female pelts are smaller (narrower bands in a let-out coat), silkier and have a lower pile. Excellent value and durabffity. Canadian mink are world renowned.

Muskrat - Muskrat account for fully one-half of the wild furs taken in Canada each year. In fact, muskrat is the most widely distributed furbearer in North America, ranging from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The northern (Canadian) muskrat is characterized by very dense underfur. But you can also select distinctively marked Jersey, or lightweight southern (eg. Louisianna) pelts. Whichever you choose, muskrat today can be styled with exciting new techniques which exploit its fashionable short pile and interesting coloration.

Nutria - Good nutria may resemble beaver and can be worked in similar ways: natural longhair or plucked and sheared. Watch for uniformity of texture and colour with sleek guardhair and plush underfur. Natural colours range from the silver-blue of the more expensive ranched European ("spitz") nutria to the brown tones of North or South American wild pelts.

Opossum - In fact, there are two distinctively different opossums commonly used in the fur trade today. The North American variety has longer, silvery guardhairs. Australian opossum has a dense, shorter pile and a blue-grey colour. Sometimes it is dyed brown or other shades.

Rabbit - Ranched rabbit is now available in a wonderful array of natural colours. Silky texture and uniformity of colour are the qualities to keep in mind for the finest garment. The colours and choices between shearing, grooving and natural rabbit present a generous selection of warm, soft fur coats, jackets, vests and hats.

Raccoon - An all-time favorite. Well adapted to today's sleek and sophisticated fashions. An ideal choice for both men and women who want comfort and style at a moderate price. At the northern extreme of its range here, Canadian raccoon is characterized by long silvery guardhair over a very dense underfur. While it may be bleached or dyed, most people prefer this fur in its natural coloration. "Letting out" produces the most sleek effect, but men's coats are often worked "skin on skin!'

Sable - One of the rarest and most expensive of furs, the finest sable is produced only in the Soviet Union. At one time, every sable was considered the property of the Czar. Even today, when sable is fanned as well as taken from the wild, the sale of pelts is strictly controlled and the export of live animals is forbidden. Once you have seen a fine sable coat, it is not easily forgotten. Pelts are long, lightweight and well-furred. Crown sable is brown with a bluish cast, while Golden sable glows like amber. The finest sables will often have silvery hairs dispersed throughout the fur.

Skunk - Fine white markings on a blue-black ground and long silky guardhairs give this fur its tremendous visual appeal. Often marketed as "Zorino," which is the South American variety.

Squirrel - Russia, Poland, Finland and Canada produce the finest squirrel furs. Particularly popular among European designers, squirrel is heavily furred yet low profiled and lightweight.

Tanuki - Imported from Japan, the tanuki is actually a member of the raccoon family. It is sometimes dyed to mimic cross fox, which the fur resembles. Something different to consider if you are looking for character and quality.

Weasel - A member of the mink family. An interesting choice if you would like the feel of mink in a shorter-haired, lightweight edition.