Artisanal leather goods: notebooks, Bible covers, and breviary covers in genuine calf leather

The genuine calf leather hides used in our work are sheets or portions of leather that have undergone the tanning process, transforming raw hide into a noble, durable, and pleasant-to-the-touch material.

Each item is slightly different from the next, due to the vegetable tanning process used—an entirely natural method, unlike synthetic alternatives. This means that small variations or imperfections in the leather are not flaws, but rather a sign of authenticity and craftsmanship. We use two main leatherworking techniques in our products: “dry embossing” and “sublimation”, both applied to high-quality calf leather.

The dry embossing technique is used for notebooks, Bible covers, and breviary covers. In this method, the symbol on the cover is impressed using an ancient hot-stamping technique: a heated mold is pressed into the leather, creating a permanent raised impression.

The sublimation technique, on the other hand, is used for printed notebooks featuring various subjects or sacred images. This process uses pressure, heat, and steam to infuse pigments directly into the surface layer of the leather. It can be compared to a kind of tattoo, completely indelible. That’s why you won’t feel any difference in thickness between the printed area and the untreated leather—it becomes one with the material.

For the closure system of our products, we have chosen the “long leather tie”, which wraps around the item and gives it an ancient, timeless style. This closure method dates back to the time of medieval scribes, who used it to bind less important manuscripts—those that were not sewn and glued into formal books, but rather kept together using leather cords. These manuscripts, often made of parchment, were the ancestors of the modern book as we know it.