Tannery Bronze

Tannery Bronze

Wait Before You Purchase Those Exotic Skins

Exotic skin significantly augments the worth and luxury appeal of fine goods including upholstery, wall coverings, furniture, threads, handbags, and more. So is it any surprise why demand for these skins has increased among production artists and custom designers?

So, you're in the marketplace for exotic materials. Perhaps you're sourcing crocodile skin, alligator, ostrich, python, or stingray hides. With each skin, there are many facets of quality you should look for to figure out the best quality material for your uses.

These are some tips to choose the luxury-grade materials that you will need :

one ) Cut of the Skin - Many skins can be cut in multiple fashions. Most exotic skins are cut lengthwise, along the sides of the animal, featuring either the back or the belly. The back, known as a "back cut" ( or a "hornback" for alligator and crocodile skin ) features the animal's back along the middle of the skin. The belly portion is along the outside edges of the hide. The "belly cut" will feature the smoother belly skin in the middle with the more stiff and textured back. Both are similarly provoking, with the difference usually being the look or texture the artist wants to achieve.

2 ) Size of the finished Skin - How massive is the hide you need? How large are the pieces of material you're requiring? Exotic skins are priced based mostly on the factor of grade and size. The larger the skin, it becomes more more valuable, like Carat measurements for Diamonds. Larger skins will frequently carry a premium price and are typically employed in pieces where the artist wants to do minimal seaming and stitching. Smaller skins are far more cost efficient for furniture, veneers, upholstery, and trims, where it is likely that multiple skins are going to be used for the finished product.

3 ) Grading of the Hide - Grade is one of the largest factors in pricing since grade will determine the overall quality of the tanned hide. A finished bronzed hide has went through a lot - first, the life of the animal, which if wild may end up in natural scarring and tears that will be in the final product. Frequently these scars are a tribute to the genuine qualities of exotic skins, but the less scarring on the hide will increase its grade. Grading is usually done in numbers or letters, with Grade 1 and Grade A being the best.

4 ) Finishing and Coloring of the Hide - Finish and coloring should have a consistent hue and form across the hide with no flaking or blackened spots. When the skins are produced, a good tanner with a keen eye will spot these issues right away if not avoided completely. If you're placing an order for a large number of skins, it's vital that they're all the same hue. Ordering skins from multiple locations or many times can result in products that are subtley different in color. Make sure with any vendor or broker you buy from understands your needs and supply them with the exact coloring you require for your final product.

One last note in the leather trade is - how far up the ladder are you? Are you new to the sourcing business, or have you been dealing with tanneries, importers, and customs for very long? Importing controlled materials is a bother if you do not understand the ins-and-outs. If you've never sourced exotic leather before and wish to, the best recommendation to do so is to find a trustworthy broker or provider in your house country who can legally get what you're looking for.
About the Author

As a professional exotic materials supplier, James Newkirk writes on various subjects on exotic leather. Visit Exotic-skin.com for Grade A exotic skins such as alligator, crocodile, ostrich, python, and zebra.