Crocodile wallets… they are badass, audacious, and striking. There is only one reason to ignore such an accessory – you don’t wear real leather. If a reptile in your pocket doesn’t scare you away, a crocodile billfold is the best investment in your look. Not only is recognizable crocodile leather eye-catching but also surprisingly durable. Unfortunately, this valuable skin is often forged; therefore, you should know how to tell the real thing from counterfeit before you purchase anything. In this post, I am going to share some handy buying tips to help you pick a top-notch crocodile wallet.
1. Look closely at the crocodile cells
Belly leather is the most expensive but at the same time, it is faked more often. Carefully examine the leather – all cells must have different shades and sizes. On top of that, inside the cells, you may see a little hole. This pore remained after sensitive crocodile hairs have been removed. The pore may not be clearly visible if the leather is thoroughly polished but identical and even scales are a red flag.
2. Battle scars are a sign of authenticity
Crocodiles have a pretty bad temper. When living close to each other, they always compete for food and females. As a result of these fights, their skin often carries scars and scratches that are impossible to remove during the tanning process. So, if you see these damages on a crocodile leather item, congrats, it is genuine skin.
3. Look at the horns
Crocodiles have so-called horns at the back of their neck. Although those are tough and hard to treat, designers often include them into accessories as a decoration. If you see a pattern of 4 horns and 2 horns below, this is crocodile skin. Caiman leather is often confused with crocodile but these reptiles have a different pattern – their bumpy grows are organized as 4 – 4 – 2. If you spotted three rows with two horns each, it is alligator leather.
4. Location matters
As I have already said, abdominal leather is the most expensive due to an attractive pattern, flexibility, and softens. All other parts of crocodile skin have bony grows that make it thicker and tougher. The benefit of head, tail, lateral, and dorsal leather is that it is hard to counterfeit. The thick natural crocodile scales won’t cave in if you push them with your nail. Another advantage of these segments is a rich texture. Designers often combine bumpy backbone leather with more smooth lateral skin to create fancy patterns.
5. Buy from the country of origin
Crocodiles live in a warm and moist climate mostly found in Africa, Northern Australia, and Sothern Asia. The latter is the biggest supplier of crocodile leather. Reptiles are raised at crocodile farms widespread in India, Thailand, Philippines, etc. Exotic leather is very delicate and hard to tarnish. It is important that you buy from a country that breeds crocodiles on the industrial scale because they’ve fully mastered the art of leather manufacture. Besides, the price of reptile wallet bought from, let’s say Thailand, will be cheaper than that in America and Europe.
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