Denise writes: "I am interested in your embossed shagreen leather table. Is it real shagreen? What do you mean by embossed?"

Pfeifer says: "Shagreen is essentially stingray or sharkskin that is tanned much like cowhide or other leathers. We have mimicked the natural look of shagreen by embossing a shagreen pattern onto goatskin and then hand rubbing it with a high gloss lacquer to create a variation in the color and replicate the glossy finish of true shagreen leather.

As for the question of embossing...The technique has been around since the Middle Ages. A metal plate with a negative of the pattern is heated and then pressed onto the leather, leaving a pattern in relief when the plate is removed."