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PARK CITY — Detectives are asking the public for help after they say a fur coat worth $140,000 was stolen from Sitka Fur Gallery on Tuesday.
The stolen coat is made of Russian sable fur, some of the most expensive in the world. According to historian John Bigland, the fur of sables — a type of marten found in the dense forest region of Russia, Mongolia, and China — have the unique property that "whatever way it is stroked it lies equally smooth, whereas all others, when stroked contrary to the grain, give a sensation of roughness."
The Italian luxury designer Fendi presented a sable fur worth 1 million euros at a show in 2015, expensive due to the type of fur and the fact that every follicle of hair was painted with silver.
A year before the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, master furrier Marcus Hernandez opened the boutique on Main Street in Park City. The store claims to be the official furrier of the Thai Royal Family, after Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand shopped there several years ago, according to its website. Other notable customers include Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Demi Lovato, who "makes special visits to Park City for the sole purpose to purchase furs from the gallery."
Park City police shared images of the suspected thieves on Facebook and said the business is offering a $5,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest and the return of the coat. If anyone has information about the crime, the Park City Police Department is asking that they call police dispatch at 435-615-5500.
