Tanned sheepskin collar made from a beautiful Icelandic wether named Black Walnut. Black Walnut grew up on a small farm in Central NY and lived a beautiful, pasture-raised, well-loved life.  The wool on this collar is primarily black with shades of brown, grey and white wool. 
 
This collar has a bark tanned leather tie. The leather was made from a locally harvested white-tailed deer hide used locally self-harvested red oak bark. 
 
The sheepskin used for this collar was combination tanned using alum and smoke & fat tanning. 
 
Ingredients used on --
 
Sheepskin collar: alum, salt, sunflower lecithin, organic extra virgin olive oil, punkwood (self harvested from pine, cherry, hemlock and beech wood) 
 
Deer hide leather: hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide), salt, white vinegar, red oak bark, sunflower lecithin, organic extra virgin olive oil 
 
How I tan hides: 
 
I tan each of my sheepskins, buckskin, leather and furs all by hand using a variety of hand tools and wooden frames. I pay attention to detail & take incredible care of each hide I have the honor to work with each season. I view hide tanning as a slow craft, that takes patience, strength & deep presence. Each hide is tanned with the utmost care for preserving the skin, tending the earth, and taking care of my body along the way.
 
Note: Traces of small plant debris or subtle feel of lanolin may be found in the sheep's wool. 
 
I pay farmers and butchers directly for their hides, tending viable relationships from tenders of animals (or hunters) to those that process the animals to then myself as the hide tanner.