As a material for accessories, stingray leather entered the European and American market around 200 years ago. However, buyers accustomed to products made of python, crocodile, and ostrich often hesitate to buy stingray wallets. This apprehension of exotic materials is for nothing. Modern manufacturing technologies and techniques allow making even the toughest leathers soft like suede yet durable. Speaking of durability, stingray leather surpasses the traditional skins of domestic animals. Experts say that stingray leather is 25 times sturdier than cowhide! Plus, manual tailoring guarantees flawless quality.
How Does Stingray Skin Look?
The skin of a giant fish is easily recognizable thanks to the spectacular ‘pebbles’ and the distinctive sheen resulting from careful polishing. The “quality mark” of a real stingray skin wallet is an elongated silver oval with pointed narrow sides, the remaining of the dorsal fin. Thanks to its unusual shape, it received the name of a white diamond or a big white eye. Designers always put this mark in the most prominent place of luxurious products to prove leather authenticity. If you don’t see this mark on your wallet, don’t panic. There is only one ‘eye’ for the entire giant stingray skin, so maybe your billfold is crafted from a segment that just doesn’t have it.
Choosing Stingray Wallet
The silver-white mark on the front of a wallet is the natural color of this fish. Stingray skin is perceptive to dyes and does not fade with time. Besides traditional black, grey, and brown models, you can boldly go with something more vibrant, such as red, purple, and multi-color models.
Stingray wallets are positioned as feminine accessories but you can also find a plethora of unisex models. While men’s stingray wallets feature calmer finishing, options for women are much more daring. They might carry black and white waves resembling the movement of a stingray in the water, the signature Barberry pattern, fashion brand logos, and so on.
More often than not, stingray wallets feature a strip of smooth leather (pork or calf) along the perimeter. It is added to provide stiffness of the edges. The same material is intended for internal compartments. Alternatively, designers use durable satin or silky fabric with nice-looking patterns, for example, in Japanese style.
Construction and Styles
Due to its suppleness and softness, stingray leather is excellently suitable for wallets of all possible constructions and sizes. The most popular are folding models. Tri-fold wallets are compact and practical. If you like carrying your billfold in a pocket, this is the best option. If you like interesting patterns or you want to show off the signature ‘white diamond’, there is no better option than a bi-fold wallet. Although it takes up more space in your pocket, it let you glisten with unusual pear-like texture while not wrinkling your banknotes. There are also many other items crafted of stingray leather including cardholders, coin purses, checkbook wallets, etc.
More often than not, wallets are equipped with a snap – it may be attached directly to a wallet or resting on a core clasp. Large wallets for women often also feature zippers instead of snaps.
A stingray wallet is a spot-on choice for men and women appreciating luxury. Not only does stingray leather look mind-blowing but it is also very durable and trouble-free to care of.
