All you should know about leather cord

Leather cord is mostly made from cowhide. It is available in several shapes like round, flat ribbon, braided etc.
and it is used in jewelry making, decoration and other crafts.
The most common forms of leather cords is the plain round  and the braided and they come in thickness from 1 mm up to 8 mm in diameter and in many colors.
However because of the nature of the leather -it can expend or shrink- the size is seldom accurate and you should expect it to have, most of the times, a small tolerance up and mostly down.

A good quality leather cord feels smooth and consistent when you run it through your fingers, without bumps, specks of dust, cuts or other imperfections.
Some people like very soft leather cord -usually it comes from the belly part of the hide.
I like to work with a little harder quality because it is easier to work with, holds it's shape and lasts longer.
 
Two sources of leather cord seam to dominate the market. 
One comes from Greece the other from India
The Greeks have longer experience-they are the first to start producing it and Greek leather cord is known for its superior quality. It is also very expensive.
However, the Indians are caching up and some established producers, like the one that supplies my business with leather cord for several years now, offer excellent products at a very competitive price.
Nevertheless, some customers are willing to pay the the much higher price of the Greek leather cord. Of course it is up to you to to decide.
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