Genuine Shark skin is popular for upholstery and wallets where a durable long-lasting leather is desired. Shark has a fine grainy texture with smooth ripples across the surface. It holds up well against friction, and because of its durability it’s popular with upholstery and wallets. (I personally carry a genuine shark wallet, it’s been carried every day for 6 years and it’s still yet to have a puncture or scratch.)

That’s not all – we’ve also added two new additions to our Stingray inventory!

Our Saddle Size stingray skins are our reserve of extra large stingray skins, painted in an assortment of patterns and colors. We have put these skins are set aside exclusively for seam-free upholstery of motorcycle seats, saddles, and other seating applications. These stingray leather hides are a fat 16″ x 32″ so the material can cover the surface and still have enough left to wrap around the bottom of the seat.

Need something more economical? We have also added Long Stingray skins (measured at 8″ x 18″) – perfect for jewerly and inlays where only a small portion of skin is required. These skins have all of the quality you expect in stingray skin from American Exotics, scaled to an economical size perfect for smaller production uses.

Subscribe to our exotic leather product feed for more online sales and new products coming soon: Elephant, Eel, and Alligator hides for sale direct through the American Exotics secure online store!

Pits on leather are common, especially among larger animals in a species. They’re very common with the Crocodile fuscus caiman species, which are more prone to pits. You’ll usually find at least a little pitting across the grain of these less expensive hides. This is one of the reasons why Caiman are less expensive than their Nile Crocodile, American Alligator, Freshwater Croc, and Saltwater Crocodile cousins.

Pitting on other species can also be the outcome of bad tanning and/or storage of hides. When salted hides sit for a long time, larger grains of create these indentations due to the pressure on the hide, forming these deep pits.

You can usually expect some surface pitting on the popular and inexpensive Caiman crocodile hide. These pits will be on most skins to some degree, and are pretty common in the exotic leather industry. While this is the case, American Exotics always takes great care that shipped hides, including caimans, do not have deep, extreme pits that often plague finished exotic leathers such as caiman crocodiles. We inspect the usable areas of our tanned hides and only work with manufacturers and tanneries who produce quality finished skins with the smoothest available material.

Here are a couple of announcements:

256-Bit SSL Secure Encryption
You can now purchase with extra confidence through our online store – we have installed a 256-bit SSL secure encryption certificate so any data you submit to us is with the utmost confidence.

Another note in placing orders: You do not need a PayPal account or an account with us to make a purchase. Simply place your order and submit your billing information as a guest to our store. Paypal is our preferred gateway and payment management system because they offer good protection for both the consumer and businesses.

Here are some details about our genuine Zebra:

Zebra Hide Grading

Being wild African game, Zebras are subject to the harsh natural habitats of Africa. So, unlike a farmed or domesticated species like Ostrich and Alligator, Zebras hides often have natural scarring that lower the grading of the hide.

We only deal specifically in Luxury Grade Zebra (very minimal scars and blemishes) and Grade A zebra (a few scars and blemishes).

Zebra Hide Backing

Our Zebra hides have the option of a standard tanned hide, or a hide with a thick felt backing. The felt backed hides are heavier and will lay flat on the ground, making them perfect for rugs. Note that without the felt backing on Zebra, the skins can create waves and bumps with regular foot traffic and will not sit flat on the ground.

A regular tanned hide has skin just as strong as the felt backed, but is more ideal for upholstery and production since its much more pliable. Zebra can transform a regular piece of furniture into somethin exquisite and wild – ideal for game rooms or simply those with a discerning taste.

Our online gallery of Zebra furniture is ready to ship, and is just a sample of what we can do. If you have custom needs for a piece you need and/or want to develop, we can probably help you out. Just fill out our inquiry form with project details and we’ll get back with you as soon as possible.

The Burchell Zebra is legal in the United States for trade and ownership in the United States. Our skins are imported from Africa and are typically shipped within the United States, delivered to you promptly. Our genuine Zebra furniture may be either shipped from our Inventory or built after your purchase and will ship within 2 – 3 weeks.

Whether you’re looking for a luxury genuine Zebra rug or for a high quality hide for upholstery/production, we can get you the skins you need.

All transactions are processed through our payment processor PayPal. Shipping is a flat rate of $10 per order.

Our inventory is revolving so we’re always well stocked with our standard color lines. If you need custom colors or bulk quantities, we can help you there as well – submit an inquiry and our leather tanning professionals will contact you with minimums and tailor your order to your needs.

Not in the U.S.? Submit an inquiry before purchasing so we can be sure that your order abides by the laws and regulations of your country.

Also – keep your eyes peeled – we will have finished goods coming soon, including belts, wallets, boots, shoes, and more in a variety of wild exotic skins!

Production grade luxury python skins can be anywhere from 10 – 20ft long, depending on the source. These skins are professionally tanned to bring out the best quality possible in each scale.

Natural python skins are totally unique – each snake has its own variation of scales and pattern.  Python leather is thin, pliable, and durable.  It’s also immediately noticeable – making it a luxury for production applications like garments, handbags, wallets, upholstery, trims, and veneers.  If you require wholesale production-grade python skin, please submit an inquiry so that we may get you in touch with an exotic skin supplier for a consultation and importing assistance.

A well tanned ostrich skin hide will feature these qualities:

1)      No holes, scratches, or inconsistencies throughout the material – Since most ostriches are farm raised, so natural scarring is less of an issue in the tanning process and the finished skin.  Look for any holes where quills should be – a high grade Ostrich hide should have no holes in quill points.

2)      Little or no transparency through any quill points on the hide – Hold the skin up to the light.  Can you see through it?  If so, the skin was probably shaved or rubbed too low during the tanning process.

3)      Soft to the touch – A good ostrich hide will have a soft, luxury feel to it but is a very strong, thick leather.  The quill points will be firm as well.

4)      Consistent coloring throughout the hide – Ostrich skins can be dyed to feature rich, bright colors.  They should have consistent color throughout the entire hide if it has been properly dyed and finished.

That said, there are three processes to drying a tanned exotic skin to perfection – the crust, the color, and the finish.

The drying process can be laborious; it requires the stretching of the hides during the tanning process, forcing the hides to dry flat.  Not stretching a hide during tanning leaves it wavy or cause it to roll, creating an inconsistent finish or a skin that will be difficult to use in production.  Skins are dried at a low temperature with low humidity to produce the best quality; high temperature drying causes shrinking and a harder, more brittle leather.

A professional tanner takes great care to ensure that their drying process is well ventilated, at the proper temperature, and the skins are properly stretched during drying to prevent warping and rolling

Dryers can be used, but only at low temperatures.  Typically, finishing is a relatively quick part of the exotic skin tanning process, but tanneries should always do this at low temperature, low humidity, and good exhaust.

1) Batch sizes, process times, and quality measurements are different from cow leather – The smaller batches, the longer process times, and the more measurements demonstrate just how valuable the production of a full alligator hide is. This adds to its luxury appeal since it takes a true professional tanner to produce a hide of exceptional quality.

2) Skins are graded by the centimeter – Since exotic skins are sold at such small measurements (Centimeters), most exotic alligator and ostrich skin tanners will work very carefully to eliminate wasted material through trimming.  This means they must be experts at operating the machines to produce the hides.

3) Chemical Measurements must be very accurate – When dealing with valuable exotics, there is no desire to “experiment” or “test” with skins!  A mistake can result in wasted material which loses the tannery money as well as a poor finished skin.

4) Constant Inspection – From beginning to end, skins are tagged per regulations (since exotics are often closely regulated).  Exotic leather production cannot be rushed – sometimes materials take longer to tan than expected, but rushing through the process to produce a fine material usually results in an inferior product.  It takes a true expert to create an exotic leather to production quality standards.

5) Liming/De-liming/Clipping – Powdered lime is first added to remove the epidermal layer through an intricate process.  After this has been removed (after days of processing) skins are de-limed with Ammonium Chloride.  After de-liming, skins are clipped to prevent them from “balling up” and tying to each other during the drum processes.

6) Bleaching - Pigmentation is bleached out of the skin.  This often involves hazardous ingredients that should be handled with care and requires ventilation, and proper drainage and filtration to do it safely.

7) Tanning and Re-tanning – A tanner adds his own personal recipe of ingredients and skill to craft a finely tanned, luxury alligator hide.  Often an anti-fungal product is added to prevent mold growth when the skins are stored.

Coloring and Finishing – After the long and intricate process of tanning and producing a finished hide, it is important that a tannery uses only the best, top quality coloring and finishing dyes, glazes, and tools for their finished product.  With the right application, a beautiful finished hide is produced.