Hi Emma,

I'm doing this from home and don't have the leather handles with me, but its quite normal to see significant variances in aniline-dyed leather even within a given batch from a tannery. The higher grade the leather, the more they vary as a rule.

Nevada and Canyon are Aniline-dyed, which means they are vat-dipped for color and are not corrected with spray paint (pigmented). Can't recall if Tuscany is aniline or not.

Here's the general rules for leather and leather like products:

Vinyl: Dead-on color. As it should be with a man-made product.

BiCast: Closer to vinyl but consistent in color.

Finished: Painted leather with topcoating. Mostly consistent colors, but can vary lightly.

Aniline Plus: Vat dipped Aniline, but color-corrected with paint. So-So variance.

Pure Aniline: The best! Vat-dyed with high color and significant shade variances.

Looking at aniline-dyeed swatches is best done from about 10 feet back, seriously! Also, anilines tend to changes tones when pulled tight,so you see one shade when laying loose as a sample, and the finished product on the sofa will be lighter in most cases as its pulled tight.

If color is absolutely critical, then you can request a cutting for approval prior to order production, but this often causes more difficulties than its worth. First off,it slows production about a month on average. Second, if you decline the sample, chances are you may have to wait another three to four months before a new leather batch arrives. Third, the sofa will look different from even the best cutting sample as the leather 'takes' differently in color and shade when upholstered.

Hope that helps
Duane Collie

Thanks Duane.

I've tried to look at samples in different lighting, but I've pretty much been looking at them close up. I think all of the leathers I've listed are aniline, since they are all unprotected. I have been pulling samples tight and noticed the variations. Except for the Tuscany Harness which is darker than the other three, the leathers I'm looking at are pretty similar in shades. Hancock and Moore, however, has very different descriptions for them. Since I haven't seen any of the leathers on furniture, I'm relying on the samples and descriptions and wanted to know if anyone had any hands on (or sight) experience with them.

In particular, I'm thinking about the Nevada Canyon versus the Olde English Tobacco. The samples I saw are very similar except for a more supple feel for the Olde English. I, however, have a sample of the Nevada Canyon at home which is darker than the store sample. Is the "beautiful" full top grain leather with pull-up effect of Olde English softer and more supple than that or the "American buffalo" full top grain leather of the Nevada Canyon? So, I'm not sure what to think. I also like the Tuscany Harness, but felt it may be too dark, but if when pull tight its lighter, I'm seriously considering it. It's the dilemma of trying to make a decision without seeing the actual product.

Emma,

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I got two fresh samples of Equestrian Dessert in the mail today from H&M and they differed from one another by about 5 shade ranges. I had to flip them over to read the labels to make sure they were the same swatch, that's how much they varied. Such is the nature of aniline-dyed leather, however.

I've not had the first customer yet (fingers crossed) that has been disappointed in their aniline-dye leather selection on furniture. Yes, the real piece will vary considerably from the swatch set, but it usually exceeds their expectations and I've never had a customer ask for a courtesy re-order/re-select. At some point you have to make the Leap of Faith and just go for it, or you'll make yourself mad trying to zero in on color accuracy. Now, Finished leathers are much more consistent in color (because they are literally painted). There's always that option as well.

Nevada hide is thick genuine Buffalo and has a bit of a 'western' look to it. The Olde English is softer, and will tend to show surface scratches - but its more plush.

If you're going to buy soon, try to finalize by March 5th as that 5% deal that Hancock and Moore is offering (excludes the Town and Country program) expires then. Won't be another factory deal on high-end hides until August if they stay true to form to the promotion schedule.

Duane Collie