Jīnzōng 金鬃 (Gold Mane)

The shell on the outside is marbled red cordovan from Rocado in Ponte a Egola, Tuscany. Six months in the vegetable tanning pits, then the surface is shaved back by hand to expose the vein and fibre structure of the shell underneath. That is where the marbling comes from. It is not a print. Every collar in this run looks slightly different because every shell does.

The lining is Old England from La Perla Azzurra, tanned in Santa Croce sull'Arno using Quebracho bark from Argentina. It is a milled, hot-stuffed pull-up leather. Oils and waxes are driven into the hide while it is still warm, so the colour shifts and lightens wherever the leather bends or stretches. Against the dog's neck, this is the side that does the work. It softens with wear, takes on a patina, and the pull-up effect means every collar develops its own map of use over time. We picked it because the spongy hand feel sits comfortably on a dog without ever going floppy.

The buckle end and keeper are made from Bisanzio Oro by Conceria Puccini Attilio in Santa Croce. This is a full-grain vegetable-tanned cowhide that has been drum-dyed, oil-fattened, and then hand-stained with an aniline metallic finish. It is not real gold leaf. The cloudy, slightly rustic metallic look is the finisher's work, applied by hand, which is why no two pieces match.

The buckle itself is a stirrup style in 24K gold PVD over 316L stainless steel, made by Hility. PVD plating runs at 800–4,000 HV hardness compared to 100–200 HV on standard electroplated brass, so the gold doesn't wear off the high points the way it does on cheaper buckles. Two gold screw rivets sit at the buckle end where the strap turns back on itself. The hardware will hold up to a working dog, but the collar is built for slow days.

Stitching is hand saddle stitched with two needles using Lajin Twist gold metallic thread on the body and red on the gold buckle end. Saddle stitching means if one length of thread breaks, the next stitch still locks. It is the same construction Hermès uses on their leather goods, and it is the reason this collar will outlast every machine-stitched collar your dog will ever wear.

Edges are burnished in ten stages using Tokonole, a Japanese water-based burnishing gum made from natural paste, resin, wax and silicon. Each pass slicks the fibres down a little more until the edge takes a wet, glassy shine.