In this leather guide, we take a look at the Minerva Box Leather. I don’t think many of you have heard of this type of leather before but fret not, we’ll go into its origin and characteristics and essentially, showing you some of the brands that are using this leather for their products.
If you’re an avid reader of our blog or to be specific, the leather guide articles, you should already know the drill. So sit tight, brew yourself a nice hot cup of coffee and read on.
Origin & Characteristics
Image from https://www.millhandmade.com/minerva-box
The Minerva Box leather is a vegetable-tanned leather from Badalassi Carlo tannery in Italy which we have talked about in the Pueblo Leather article. For the benefit of those who have not read that article, it is a tannery that produces premium vegetable-tanned leather.
This veg tan leather is one of their highest grade leather and it is full-grain with a nice supple feel and a subtle amount of firmness. It is a Vachetta leather (premium cowhide leather with a buttery soft appearance, usually used in Louis Vuitton bags).
The leather goes through a process called Milling which allows the individual hide to produce its own naturally unique grain. The grain’s size is irregular and it depends on the fibres and thickness of the hides.
The surface of the leather is smooth and it gives off a sheen, this is due to the high fat content infused in the process of making the leather. This helps with the accentuation of the colours and a nice patina with prolonged use.
Image taken from: http://www.millhandmade.com
If you find the image above familiar, that’s because it’s found in our Epsom leather article and from the same place. You can now compare both the leathers side by side and see the difference.
Straight out of the box, the Minerva Box leather (no pun intended) appears to give out a rugged look and comparing it with the Epsom, it may just appeal to a whole different audience, the type who likes a raw look on their leather with the irregular grain patterns which actually provides a very authentic feel.
Patina
Quite dramatically, the Minerva leather patinas by fading away its original colour. This may not be the leather for everyone if you prefer the leather to patina into a darker and rustic look.
But it’s quite a show I must say as the leather fades its colours away while leaving the pebbled-grain patterns on the product.
If you are considering to purchase this leather, do consult the tannery on the patina of the different colours because you never know what colour it will turn into after it ages! Also, make sure you are enquiring about Minerva Box as they also provide another type of leather, the Minerva Liscio.
Strap Brands With Minerva Box Leather
1) Finwatchstraps ($87 SGD)
In the Pueblo leather article, I mentioned this brand and how unique it is with the different exotic leather it provides for their watch straps. And why am I not surprised they offer the Minerva Box leather as well for their straps!
Their straps are hand-made to order in Finland and quite formidably, they offer a wide range of width for you to choose from for your different watches. It starts from the 10mm width all the way up to 26mm and they include odd sizes as well.
Click here to explore what they have to offer.
2) Etsy ($101 – $210 SGD) Artisan Straps, JonesInTokyo and Catalyst Leatherworks
Heaps of products can be found on Etsy and more often than not, it is a heaven for leather/watch enthusiasts who are keen to try out customised watch straps to small leather goods from different individuals.
It is no different for the Minerva Box straps and particularly, there are 3 individuals that stood out; Artisan Straps, JonesInTokyo and Catalyst Leatherworks. Their Minerva leather straps seem to be of quality and an interesting touch of service provided by Artisan Straps is the option for you to choose the colour of the thread that goes onto the strap.
You can check them out individually here, Catalyst Leatherworks, Artisan Straps and JonesInTokyo
Small Leather Goods Brands With Minerva Box Leather
1) Leather_Inc ($35 SGD)
#Supportlocal as they all say, we have a leather crafter from Singapore that makes cardholders from Minerva Box leather and he is selling at an extremely affordable price!
He provides a free initial personalisation on your cardholder so this is a bonus, going for only $35, you can give the leather a try and see if it suits your taste before going for the bigger and higher-priced goods.
You can check out Leather_Inc here.
2) Craftsman Select ($140 SGD)
If cardholders isn’t your thing, you can consider going for Craftsman Select Minerva Box leather wallet. At an affordable price of $140 SGD, Craftsman Select enables you to give the Minerva Box leather a try.
It takes 7 – 10 days for them to make the wallet but they are currently offering free shipping worldwide! This might be a good opportunity for you to upgrade your wallet.
Besides this wallet, they have a wide variety of products for you to choose from such as rings and even some watch straps. You can check them out here.
Final Thoughts
Besides spreading the knowledge of the different types of leather, I have also delve into the individual craftsmen whom utilises all these types of leather that we have mentioned.
This will provide all of us the understanding of the intricacies of leather crafting especially for watch straps and leather goods and the characteristics of the different leather the craftsmen are using. I am not sure about you but I think it makes the overall experience of purchasing leather goods much more interesting!
If you enjoy this article, do take a look at our previous leather guide here.