Shagreen

Aerin Shagreen Matchbox Sleeve

 

Do you recall back in the day when people smoked and restaurants would have free matches with their logo?

Nowadays there is no smoking in restaurants, so no more free matches for the most part, but decorative matchboxes are still popular for lighting candles and such. These by famous decoupage artist John Derian are $5 each.

John Derian Matchboxes

I am a big fan of designer things, but the price of this matchbook did make me do a double take. It is faux, not real shagreen, meaning it is made of embossed materials to look like shagreen. The cost is $325. Yikes.

Aerin Shagreen Matchbook Sleeve

Shagreen pieces have long been valued. They were historically made from fish skin like rare spotted dogfish or shark. People like Andy Warhol and the Duke of Windsor were big fans. Real shagreen pieces have sold for incredible prices like a shagreen chest for $3 million dollars. Today the vast majority of shagreen is faux. Shagreen-covered items are usually antiques; nobody takes the time nor the effort to veneer anything with this costly, difficult and labor-intensive material. Moreover, many of the skins are now endangered species.

Aerin sells her shagreen pieces as being shagreen, not faux. But I did research and found they are made of embossed resin. Definitely a more sustainable, ethical, and modern alternative, but I am a bit surprised she sells her shagreen collection without saying it is faux. Her faux shagreen pieces on her website sell for up to $8,000!

I did find a gorgeous faux shagreen piece at HomeGoods after Christmas reduced for next to nothing. It is a Monopoly set, but I just loved the box and have it on the cocktail table in my bedroom. I am not a board game person at all.

Monopoly Del Mar Shagreen Edition