How to choose leather accessory of good quality?

Genuine leather is always a perfect choice for shoes and accessories. And it is important to know how to choose leather accessory of good quality.

There are so many factors involved in buying quality leather.

Genuine leather is divided into three leather quality categories

• Full grain leather
• Top grain leather
• Split leather

Full grain leather offers the best quality, therefore, it is more expensive, while split leather provides the worst quality, thus it is relatively cheap.

The term “genuine leather” likewise gives you no indication whether the bag is made from cow, sheep, lamb, etc. Always ask where the leather is coming from if there is no indication.

In order to recognize if the bag is made of real leather or fake leather, you can use the following indicators like smell, surface structure, touch, cutting edges, oil and water test and the price to help you guide into the right direction. So let’s cover them one by one in more detail.

Unfortunately, if you are shopping online, then you do not have the advantage of smell. Leather has its own distinctive and pleasant smell, which cannot be imitated. On the other hand, imitated leather might have no smell at all or smells slightly like plastic.

Here again, if you are online shopping, you might be a little disadvantaged. However, many websites offer images, which you can zoom in. Take advantage from this feature, whenever you buy a leather accessory online.

You recognize a good quality leather accessory by its full grain. That means if you look closely you might discover minor natural imperfections. Those can be in the form of as cuts, insect bites, stretch marks and neck folds. However, do not dismiss these natural flaws as faults. They are a sign of excellent quality, as they verify the authenticity of the leather.

Synthetic leather on the other side is even structured and patterned. If you go over the bag with your hand, it may feel “unreal” or too smooth.

However, it’s important to note that not all “smooth” accessories are automatically made of synthetic leather. There are leather sub-types that usually fall under the split-leather category, but nonetheless are the real leather. So in such case try relying more on the other indicators in order to make a correct decision.

Real leather, especially full grain and top grain leathers, feels warm and soft and have a comfortable grip. Synthetic leather, on the other hand, is smooth, rigid and cold.

Patina
High-quality full-grain leather develops over time a beautiful patina. Imitated leather, on the other hand, will retain or slightly fade in its color.

Genuine leather has a fibrous structure at the edges, which consists of the protein-containing pores of the skin, whereas artificial leather has smooth edges. Although, do not be fooled, because that is one difference, which is difficult to recognize in processed leather.

Genuine leather is a natural material. Therefore, can absorb water, fats and oils with the pores. Imitated leather you recognize, that a drop of water will run off, hardly able to be absorbed by the material.

Like with most all other products you buy, the price alone will not give you a reliable indication whether this leather bag is of good or not so good quality. Besides the excellent quality of the leather, the brand name of your accessory plays a significant role in the price of the product. However, as a rule of the thumb, real and good quality leather is more expensive, than poor quality leather or even an imitation.