With most people having bought processed leather belts from department stores most of their lives they may have never seen an authentic Full Grain leather belt. Much like manufactured furniture, genuine or bonded leather belts are made from leather by-products, and the result is a perfectly formed, although structurally weak, product.
Genuine Leather is a processed leather product and abit too perfect. It is also structurally weak and will not have the longevity of a Full Grain leather product.
Now, if you take a Full Grain hide and craft a belt out of it there are going to be some of the flaws and imperfections mother nature has left behind. Just like a solid wood piece of furniture has the grain and knots from the living tree it was carved from, a Full Grain leather belt is cut right from the hide and will show these same imperfections of nature!
Just like real wood shown above, full grain leather also shows mother nature's marks.
Now, if you take a Full Grain hide and craft a belt out of it there are going to be some of the flaws and imperfections mother nature has left behind. Just like a solid wood piece of furniture has the grain and knots from the living tree it was carved from, a Full Grain leather belt is cut right from the hide and will show these same imperfections of nature!
Just like real wood shown above, full grain leather also shows mother nature's marks.
Insect bites, cuts, scrapes, and bruises the animal acquired during its life will all come on that hide and is the mark of a quality Full Grain leather product.
Natural scars are a sign of the real deal! True Full Grain Leather.
Along with this is some variances in hide thickness. No hide is an equal thickness across the length of it so you may see some areas slightly thicker than others. This characteristic is entirely normal and is one of the desired traits of a Full Grain leather product. Since we do not see the point in removing leather from the belt (why make it thinner!) you can see variances in hide thickness.
Also color on our belts can vary from batch to batch. So many things come into play with colors that variations are expected. Again this is a sign of true Full Grain leather from natural hides and not processed leather.
So next time look for those small imperfections. A scar, a grain mark, a little imperfection...these all assure that you have purchased a top quality Full Grain leather belt that will last for decades and not just years.