Seal skin sporran

**artificer** · 7th September 14, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by Mel1721L

I have trouble trying to justify the wearing of anything leather, there is no way I could use sealskin anything.

Without getting too off topic, leather is a byproduct of the beef industry. about 2 billion people are going to have to give up hamburgers before there are any 'ethical issues' with sourcing cowhide.

At one point there was a plan for Scottish makers to use Inuit harvested seal, as their hunt is part of their cultural heritage and the seal used for food. I cannot find out what happened to
that plan, but the EU (like the US) has banned all regular commercial trade in seal.

ith:

**Mel1721L** · 7th September 14, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by artificer

Without getting too off topic, leather is a byproduct of the beef industry. about 2 billion people are going to have to give up hamburgers before there are any 'ethical issues' with sourcing cowhide.

At one point there was a plan for Scottish makers to use Inuit harvested seal, as their hunt is part of their cultural heritage and the seal used for food. I cannot find out what happened to
that plan, but the EU (like the US) has banned all regular commercial trade in seal.

ith:

It is a misconception that leather comes from beef cattle, it comes from cattle bred for the purpose as I understand it. However this could get too political and ruin the original post.

**artificer** · 7th September 14, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by Mel1721L

It is a misconception that leather comes from beef cattle, it comes from cattle bred for the purpose as I understand it. However this could get too political and ruin the original post.

I'm afraid you're incorrect.

I'm going to break it down so that this thread is not left dangling with a common misunderstanding of the leather industry.

The VAST majority of cowhide leather produced is a byproduct of the beef industry. There is a microscopic share of the leather market where the cattle are bred and raised with an eye to their hides as premium leathers. This takes place primarily in Scandinavia, and it's worth noting that the cattle are still consumed- it's just that the primary focus is different (leather versus beef).

What you see in leather qualities (and therefore cost) is a direct reflection of the cost of raising the animals and the environmental exposures they are subject to.
The least expensive leathers and beef- (aka McDonalds) comes from areas like the plains of South America (Argentina). The cattle mostly forage and the hides are fairly heavily marked
with things like bug bites, brands, and the scars from minor injuries sustained while out and about.
Most of these leathers are unsuitable for use in a natural state so they are given an artificial texture (pressed in during finishing with very heavy hot rollers) and very heavy topcoat.

The next tier of leathers comes from animals in the mid-latitudes (Germany, the Upper Mid-West of the US). These cattle are sheltered in inclement weather, and are generally speaking better cared for.
The hides are naturally better (less extreme sun exposure, better food) and tend to have fewer scars from bites and other things (although there is still quite a bit of variation in quality).
The lower quality hides are given the same treatments as above (regrained and topcoated) but the better quality can be used in their natural state with a FULL grain (uncorrected) and only
the natural aniline dyes. Prices obviously will go up as the quality does.

The best cowhides are ones from the Scandinavian programs I mentioned at the start. They are essentially flawless, can be grain shrunk (in the tanning process the hides aren't stretched as much as a normal leather
would be, which results in a VERY defined grain and thick but supple hand. It's rare to see any of these hides with anything other than an aniline dye. They are as 'pure' as leathers get.

I worked in the leather industry for quite a long time.

ith:

**Mel1721L** · 7th September 14, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by artificer

I'm afraid you're incorrect.

I'm going to break it down so that this thread is not left dangling with a common misunderstanding of the leather industry.

The VAST majority of cowhide leather produced is a byproduct of the beef industry. There is a microscopic share of the leather market where the cattle are bred and raised with an eye to their hides as premium leathers. This takes place primarily in Scandinavia, and it's worth noting that the cattle are still consumed- it's just that the primary focus is different (leather versus beef).

What you see in leather qualities (and therefore cost) is a direct reflection of the cost of raising the animals and the environmental exposures they are subject to.
The least expensive leathers and beef- (aka McDonalds) comes from areas like the plains of South America (Argentina). The cattle mostly forage and the hides are fairly heavily marked
with things like bug bites, brands, and the scars from minor injuries sustained while out and about.
Most of these leathers are unsuitable for use in a natural state so they are given an artificial texture (pressed in during finishing with very heavy hot rollers) and very heavy topcoat.

The next tier of leathers comes from animals in the mid-latitudes (Germany, the Upper Mid-West of the US). These cattle are sheltered in inclement weather, and are generally speaking better cared for.
The hides are naturally better (less extreme sun exposure, better food) and tend to have fewer scars from bites and other things (although there is still quite a bit of variation in quality).
The lower quality hides are given the same treatments as above (regrained and topcoated) but the better quality can be used in their natural state with a FULL grain (uncorrected) and only
the natural aniline dyes. Prices obviously will go up as the quality does.

The best cowhides are ones from the Scandinavian programs I mentioned at the start. They are essentially flawless, can be grain shrunk (in the tanning process the hides aren't stretched as much as a normal leather
would be, which results in a VERY defined grain and thick but supple hand. It's rare to see any of these hides with anything other than an aniline dye. They are as 'pure' as leathers get.

I worked in the leather industry for quite a long time.

ith:

Thanks for setting me straight. It still leaves me with my original problem but at least I'm better informed.

**Ron Abbott** · 7th September 14, 03:10 PM

Doesn't look any sealskin I've come across.

But hey, if it was a reasonable price and you're happy with it......

**Norbo** · 8th September 14, 12:27 AM

It looks nice but I just count were seal skin not even if it was given to me free. it just wouldn't sit right with me having a baby seal batted to death for something I was wearing sorry.

**Mel1721L** · 8th September 14, 01:51 AM

Originally Posted by Norbo

It looks nice but I just count were seal skin not even if it was given to me free. it just wouldn't sit right with me having a baby seal batted to death for something I was wearing sorry.

Well put, totally agree.

**craigclan** · 8th September 14, 04:13 AM

I actually traded a kilt for what I hoped was seal skin . I'm a little disappointed it's not . Oh well I like it anyways . I will just have to keep looking . Thanks for all the helpful info though .

**Nathan** · 8th September 14, 04:36 AM

Guys,

In my opinion, this really isn't the place to debate the pros and cons of the seal harvest and I hope you don't end up getting the OPs thread flagged. It's a divisive political issue and passions run pretty high where I come from about it. There is also a lot of misinformation around. I'm not a mod by any means but, as I understand it, we can talk about seal fur all day, but xmarks isn't the place to discuss the ethics of the fur or meat trades.