Information about leather and leather goods quality levels Leather Quality Information by Terry Scheller pres. During most of my career I have purchased leather. During this time I have talked with hundreds of people that process leather. It's not rocket science, but still, there's a lot of misinformation about leather. I'd like to try to explain to the general public as well as to others in the industry what some of the descriptions really mean in terms of quality.
Real leather is composed of microscopic fibers which are inter linked.
When leather is used, it bends and the fibers bend and rub against each other. When it was alive and connected to the oil ducts of the animal, the fibers were all naturally lubricated. Once leather develops cracks, the cracks cannot be repaired, although further cracking can be prevented by applying oil or conditioners to the leather. Silicone waterproofing is only a surface coat and will not properly lubricate the leather fibers. Silicone can prevent oils from entering and lubricating leather so is only a quick fix for water-proofing.