In recorded history, pieces of leather dating from 1300 B.C. have been found in Egypt. Primitive societies in Europe, Asia and North America all developed the technique of turning skins into leather goods independently of one another.

Creating leather involves a long & complex combination of mechanical and chemical processes. The heart of the process is the tanning operation itself in which organic or inorganic materials become chemically bound to the protein structure of the hide and preserve it from deterioration. The substances generally used to accomplish the tanning process are chromium or extracts from bark of trees, such as chestnut. These tanning agents give rise to the two predominant types of tanning operations - chrome and vegetable tanning.

At urban africa & Afrographic we mainly use 2 types of cow leather :

• Vegetable-tanned leather is tanned using tannin and other ingredients found in vegetable matter, such as tree bark prepared in bark mills, and other such sources. It is supple and brown in color, with the exact shade depending on the mix of chemicals and the color of the skin. It is the only form of leather suitable for use in leather carving or stamping.
• Chrome-tanned leather, invented in 1858, is tanned using chromium sulfate and other salts of chromium. It is more supple and pliable than vegetable-tanned leather, and does not discolor or lose shape as drastically in water as vegetable-tanned. It is also known as wet-blue for its color derived from the chromium. More esoteric colors are possible using chrome tanning.

We hope you find this info interesting. It shows you how magic & precious leather is.
Here are some pics of our local tannery based in Wellington, South Africa.