- Species: Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus Niloticus)
- Cut: Belly
- Size: 35/37CM
- Thickness:4oz - 1.5mm
- Finish: Matte
- Color: Apricot
Matte Finish
Matte Finish is also referred to as saddle, aniline, and desert finishes tanned with chrome agents and is the oldest and most popular of all reptile finishes. Some are true matte others are finished with waxes to give additional sheen.
Fashion, even within the luxury sector, is becoming ever faster. Why take a risk going into production with excessive wait times known for delays due to customs, fish and wildlife inspections, or local tanneries bumping you for larger clients? Our goal in offering such a variety of colors and finishes is to streamline and simplify the entire process of you seeing a color/finish that is close to what you or your client wants and to ship the same business day. The allure of exotic skins is their uniqueness, why invest in more minimum order production than you need or have orders for, then wait who knows how long to receive skins you have not even seen These skins were farmed raised at one of several European contracted farms in Africa and Australia, tanned in Europe, imported under CITES into the U.S. to exclusively offer Same day U.S. shipping for U.S. shipping address only for orders placed before 3PM Mountain Time Zone.
Grading
Grading of crocodile skin is very subjective. Each tannery and supplier in the United States has their own quality standard with some grading all the way down to shit or grade 5 or 6. We keep it simple grade 1 Flawless and at a strict European standard.
We don't bother investing in 1000's of skin at a significant discount to come up with less than 100 that are fully usable. We only purchase Flawless European grade 1 skins which are personally hand selected then imported to use for clients production and to ship to designers and manufactures that have their own workshops .
Notice that the skins we ship are 95% usable from throat to tail. This is how luxury buyers for the major European brands purchase. After 20 years of buying and selling exotic skins what we stock, use for clients production and ship is exactly what you see on your screen.
Having produced finished products for 12 years and thousands of exotic skins bags and accessories its surprising pleasant to work with highest grade crocodile skins. Imagine making products from a crocodile tail that looks as good as from the center cut belly.
Factor tail production into the costs of your products you produce and then rethink buying lower grades ("because all the best grades go to Europe")
Pricing
You get what you pay for. More often then not the price of something usually equals its quality (especially cheap things are often of low quality). Why cut corners if you considering using crocodile skins for your line or project? The most important distinction between price and value is the fact that price is arbitrary and value is fundamental.
Considering these same crocodile skins we hand select and import are sold between €30-€38 per cm in the European marketplace makes what appears to be expensive a great value for those manufacturing luxury products here in the U.S. or any country.
Every notice that larger U.S. based brands which offer exotic skins products are made in Europe? Example Ralph Lauren took a equity position in one of the largest exclusive alligator and crocodile U.S. tanneries yet users European alligator and crocodile skins for their production.
Sourcing and Sizing Crocodile Skins
We stock and ship only Nile and Porosus crocodile skins, available only in flawless grade 1, unless stated otherwise, with a noticeable price difference.
Porosus Saltwater Crocodile (C. porous) from Australian farms - Tanned in Europe - matte, millennium, metallic, garment, classic glazed finished in belly and hornback, with sizes ranging between 32 - 59cm.
Nile Crocodile (C. niloticus) from African farms - Tanned in Europe: matte, millennium, glazed, garment, and unbleached belly, hornback, and backstrap skins ranging between 29cm - 59cm.
Crocodile skins are valued by measuring (horizontally) at its widest point across the abdomen. Similar to carat sizing with diamonds, the width of a hide is the considering factor for determining the rarity and price of a finished skin. For example, a 47cm Flawless Grade 1 skin is exponentially more rare not having defects and thus more valuable than a 32cm.
Legalities and Conservation
Our stocked Nile and Porosus crocodile skins are protected by US Laws and CITES Appendix II. They are legally traded, bought and sold in the United States and most countries abroad with the proper paperwork.
We do not offer low cost Appendix 1 Freshwater Siamese from Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia; this species has trade restrictions that make this species illegal for import, possess, or manufacture in the United States, even with export CITES paperwork.
Always know the source of the exotic skins to ensure the paperwork is correct, then double check the trade restriction before believing those in 3rd world countries trying to get a sale regardless if they know you are committing criminal actions - rest assured with Rojé you are only getting legal skins at fair market prices that comply with all laws and regulations.
Purchasing
We want you to have a smooth and hassle-free experience shopping with us. Our staff have 20 years of experience in working with exotic leathers; if you are not sure which size or quantity of skins you need for your project, contact us prepared with the measurements of your pattern so we can assist you with obtaining the right amount of material.
In addition, look at our sizing charts and have realistic expectations. Always give yourself a bit of seam allowance and wiggle room. Several successful designers actually send us their patterns to keep on file so as skins come in we can notify them. With smaller bags being popular and having 95% of the skin usable, our clients can produce luxury handbags using just 1 skin.
See our conversion charts if you need to convert between inches/cm for the width or material thickness.