FASHIONABLE SHAGREEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19496, 27 November 1926, Page 6 (Supplement)

FASHIONABLE SHAGREEN.

WONDERFUL EFFECTS. Four centuries ago shagreen—a handsome Chinese presentation of fish skinwas the envy of all the youug dandies about town, says an overseas fashion recorder. But shagreen was exclusive and expensive, cured and cut and shaped by hand, and it was only the dandy with a long purse who could afford to have this lovely decoration on. his avvord sheath or snuff-box. Once again Bond Street has revived shagreen. It has been displayed in the shop windows for some- months, and just around the corner, off Old Bond Street, you will find the workers of the Chinese fish skin busy curing, " knead ing," and dyeing it to the perfection of its finished state. Just as was tho case 400 years ago, it is still exclusive and costly. The process of manufacture is long and difficult. The skin does not lend itself to factory production, so that in shagreen articles yoa have one of the most beautiful of the hand-made productions Shagreen experts tell me that tho skin is " practically everlasting," and,, what is more delightful, age intensifies its beauty. It looks lovely bound with silver in brush-and comb sets. There are com plete oirtfits foi the secretaire, and end less small things like scent sprays, cigar ette and match cases, and a few book-

bindings are shown. The colours are exquisite—soft blue, grey, rose and especially green. It was the green that was used in the early 17th century—foi the art of making shagreen take subtle dyes was not then known—and some for tunate people have pieces of green among their family heirlooms. In the little " factory " 1 was shown shagreen as it arrives from the Orient. Actually it is (he skin of a small rare shark, and the raw material is as stiff and hard as a board. The placoid scales of the shark give it a very rough surface. It looks as if tsny pebbles have been embedded in the skin. They feel like stone In the old days th£ skin of horses and wild asses was treated to imitate shagreen and part of the process was to emhpd •> certain seed in the ■'kin while it was soft, and so artificially manufacture the knitter 1 surface. As a rule the real skin arrives in a creamy tint and often in a colour that requires no dve. Many hours of !aboui have to be spent filing down the hard scales and kneading the buckram like texture to the softness of kid When ready for mounting the hard nodules have been transformed to a oearl-like pattern and even after dveing this creamv rr>lr»iv remains where the wow, and on fhis pariini!-"- shark every pore seems to be a scale Nfo two skins are alike Frequently two skins put into a bath of green dve will take the colour m two total' v Afferent shades. This not only annovs the worker 11^^ r»r finished article. Shagreen is used effec t.ivelv to line the bathroom walls in thf* r Hippn's rlnltV house, where the ceiling is of snail shell and the hath of rose rock crystal.