Eight Years In — Horween and Shinki Hikaku Shell Cordovan

A long-time customer recently sent back two pieces from 2017 — a Horween Shell Cordovan Money Clip 02 and a Shinki Hikaku Shell Cordovan Card Wallet 01, both in Burgundy. Same owner, eight years of daily use, both returned to the bench together.

Horween Shell Cordovan — Money Clip 02
The surface has grown brighter and smoother with eight years of handling. The oil sheen has deepened, and reflections come through sharp.

Shinki Hikaku Shell Cordovan — Card Wallet 01
Less glossy than when new — the surface has settled into a matte, even finish. The hand has changed more than the look: from the firm, crisp feel of new Shinki to something finer and more supple, with a resilient spring to it.

Side by side, the two leathers age in different directions — Horween toward brighter and smoother, Shinki toward matte and more supple in the hand.

On the thread
Both pieces were stitched with Fil au Chinois waxed linen, in the finest gauge — the thread I used until 2017. I wanted the thinnest, cleanest stitch line I could get, but at that gauge the wax wears off and the fibers fray after a year or two of heavy daily use. Enough customers sent pieces back for restitching that I switched to Supersew MBT Polyester in 2018 — same fine gauge, much longer thread life. Restitching requests dropped off after the switch.