Shark Treasures 



197 



Samples of shark leather show how it can be dyed in various colors. Black, brown, tan 

 and natural ( smallest sample ) are shown here. Courtesy, Ocean Leather Co. 



Jealously guarding the denticle-removal process through the years, 

 Ocean Leather has remained virtually unchallenged by competitors. It 

 is the only shark-leather tannery in the United States that has consist- 

 ently produced excellent quality shark leather, and, except for a few 

 foreign firms not considered serious rivals, it is the only large-scale 

 sharkskin tannery in the world. Attempts have been made by other 

 tanneries to produce a durable leather from the hides of sharks. The 

 results have always been disappointing, although some success has been 

 reported in Europe, Mexico, and Japan. 



For decades now, hundreds of thousands of shark hides have been 

 arriving at the tannery in Newark, New Jersey, and shark leather has 

 been emerging, to be transformed into luxury articles— men's shoes, 

 belts, wallets, watch straps, and other fine leather goods. It is an ideal 

 leather for cowboy boots, ski boots, shoes, and practically anything else 

 that can be made from leather. Many years ago sharkskin leather was 

 found to be ideal for the highly vulnerable tips of children's shoes. The 

 laces will inevitably break; the counters will collapse; the soles and heels 

 will wear out with appalling speed. But the shark tips will not even 



