Stingray Skin in Fashion
Luxurious exotics seem to always represent taste, style and class. But stingray is the new exotic really making waves in fashion.Its unique beauty is highlighted by the shiny pebbly texture of the skin, along with a one-of-a-kind design feature – the bony remnant of the dorsal fin that resembles a tiny cluster of “pearls”.
In the 1920’s Art Deco period, polished stingray leather, also known as shagreen, was at its fashionable peak covering everything from furniture to jewelry boxes. Now, due to its exotic beauty and its reputation as the worlds’ most durable leather, stingray is growing in popularity. Shagreen is a bit of a loose term for a range of rough-textured skins. The 17th century Persians made it by pressing pebbles or seeds into horse, camel, or donkey skin to give them a bumpy grain; since then it has been used for a variety of coarse-grained skins. Now it most frequently refers to the skins of rays as well as (less frequently) sharks, dogfish, and other cartilaginous fish. These are covered in protrusions called placoid scales; they’re very similar to teeth, with an inner core of pulp surrounded by dentine-like material and a thinner layer of enamel-like material. From the boutiques of Milan, Paris, New York, and Beverly Hills, to high-end custom motorcycle and knife shows around the world, stingray is quickly growing from a cult favorite into a genuine trendsetter.
Dunhill Lighter
Stingray skin can be used for almost anything . Its incredible durability and exotic beauty make this type of skin a unique choice for anything from wallets to furniture Common uses are handbags and boots but many prefer to use it for larger items like seat covers and furniture. .
Stingray skin is a difficult product to work with because it is very bony. The manufacturers of handbags, furniture, boots or … should have experience working with stingray skin. the (vegetable) dyes are largely picked up by the skin rather than the scales, which are larger on older animals. Rays also feature this knot of bigger, thicker scales along the spine. The bigger the scales, the more difficult to cut the skin in a straight line.
Stingrays are wild fish living among an ocean of other wild animals, coral, grainy sand basins and the other uncontrollable elements of Mother Nature. As a result, many stingrays have scuffs or other flaws on their skin which could be a result of rubbing against sharp debris or encounters with other wildlife. This is a factor in which grade of skin to choose. If item requires large, flawless panels like a handbag, it will need a grade 1 skin. If product requires smaller panels like money clips, belts or other small accessories, it can use grade 2 stingray skin. The difference between a grade 1 and grade 2 skin is that a grade 1 skin will not have any defects in the square centered around the crown of the skin (the tiny cluster of pear like beads in the center of the skin). Stingray leather comes in a variety of colors and finishes ,basic finishes included unpolished (also called standard, un sanded, single crown, pearl) and polished (also called sanded, jewel crown, art deco). The polished skins are buffed smooth and lacquered. These skins are softer, smoother and finer looking but since the skin is buffed to smooth it out, the color isn’t quite as rich as on the unpolished. For the same reason, the crown is less pronounced on the polished skins. The distinctive white “eye” of the stingray skin is often used as a design feature. This is the remnant fin left after the stingray ‘s evolutionary journey . the eye may appear as a single diamond shape or may run the length of skin.
