What exactly is it
and how did that design get on the leather?
Tooling just means
that the leather has been changed to create a design on the leather. That might
be initials or a very elaborate pattern. Leather that is being tooled in
usually made from several layers of leather glued together much like plywood.
Then the leather is pressed or gouged with special tools. Vegetable processed
leather is softer and makes it easier to alter the leather and most tooled leather is process with vegetables. Today we see
leather that had been painted or airbrushed. That’s not tooling. The leather
has to be pressed or cut to be considered tooled.
Tooled leather
dates back to the Egyptian tombs. The Moors tooled leather as did the Aztecs.
Its found all over the world throughout the ages. But our American West is
known for tooled leather. Leather chaps were worn to protect legs from cactus
thorns and other thorny plants. Saddles were where most men spent their day. Much like
today’s pickup trucks decked out with bumper stickers, window decorations,
or license plate frames, tooling was a way for men to express themselves.
They’d get their initials embedded into their saddle. They loved their chaps,
belts, gun belts, vests, and especially their tooled boots. There was pride and
prestige in their tooling.
The process that
permitted tooling also made leather softer, more pliable, and
It’s an art form!
And the people who create tooled leather are artists. Even today, tooled
leather can be found on ladies handbags and other accessories. Animals, flowers,
initials, and geometric designs are embossed into leather. Distinctive and
beautiful, you don’t have to belong to the Old West to 
 | ||
| Juan Antonio handbag |
Look around, do you own tooled leather? My boots are tooled. I have several books with tooled leather bindings, and a book cover that has been tooled. There's a half dozen belts in my closet that are tooled. I even have a pair of glasses with a tooled design on the case. And I'm in love with that handbag!
