Know Your Leather – Everything You Wanted To Know

When shopping for leather products, there is often confusion about what kind to buy. It is true that only you can decide which leather is the best suited for you, but this decision comes only after you have some knowledge and insight about what actually is making rounds in the market. Take for example leather wallets for men – just the shapes, sizes and colors in which you can find this product will make you dizzy, such is the scale of its melange. Such variety, and that too for a men’s product.. It will not be surprising to discover that for ladies leather wallets, ten times the selection range is available.

Italian leather is counted among the most fashionable of all. Many famous designers and their innovative products are available in all sorts of ranges – exclusive, limited editions, mass manufactures, etc. There is no if and but when it comes to ladies wanting to purchase women’s leather wallets. The fact remains that with so much variety available, it becomes imperative to know a little more than commoner’s knowledge about leather.

First, let us centre this discussion on leather forms. Type of leather is based on the process of its tanning. Chrome tanned leather was first used in the mid-eighteenth century. It is the kind of leather which is tanned using the salts of chromium, or chromium sulphate. It is characterized by suppleness and shape retaining properties, even after prolonged contact with water. Another name for this leather is wet-blue, which it gets from chromium. This method of tanning makes it possible to impart the leather with a wider range of colors. The ease of tanning is emphasized by its ability to finish with the day itself, which makes it a very popular choice.

Next kind of leather is obtained from tanning leather using tannins and other ingredients obtained from vegetable matter. It is called vegetable-tanned leather. Compounds used in this type of tanning come from tree barks, wood, leaves, roots and fruits. This leather is usually brown in color – the shade depends on the chemicals used in tanning. It is unstable in water, on the other hand, it is the only form of leather suitable for use in stamping and carving activities.

Another method of tanning leather is aldehyde-tanning. This process of tanning imparts a beautiful creamy color to the leather, which gives it the name "wet-white leather". You come across this type in automobiles and baby shoes. Chamois leather also falls in this category of tanning. It is a porous and very absorbent kind of leather. It is tanned using marine oils which oxidize easily to produce the aldehydes that tan it.

The most expensive kind of leather by far would be the rose-tanned leather because of its labour-intensive process and the cost of material that goes into its tanning process. This leather has a beautiful rosy fragrance that it retains even after years of use, which makes it precious.

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About the Author:

Tony Favreau is an expert in leather fashion products who also likes to write many interesting articles and blogs, helping people in making the best choices and buying the best accessories to suit their signature style. He recommends Lameron.com as the best place to buy genuine leather wallets and other products from the internet.