A little over a year ago I had an idea. Give away twelve bracelets to twelve people. The bracelets would be as raw and natural as possible. The instructions were to do what ever you want to it, just take a picture every month and send it to me.

In the following year we have learned a lot. Oil and sun will darken the leather. Oil more so than sun. Some bracelets got zero conditioning. Some were soaked in oil. We learned that natural oils (coconut or olive) worked well. Mineral oil or other petroleum based treatments tended to do some harm in the long run. Natural oils and fats age. Mineral oil breaks down into solvents and destroys the natural fats in the leather. Coffee does not stain leather as much as we thought (or hoped) it would. Chicken poo and grape jelly just add to the character.

Lastly I was able to demonstrate my favorite thing about vegetable tanned leather. Leather is a natural material. It changes and ages just like we all do. As you carry it through the journey of your life, it will carry the story of what you've experienced.  Twelve bracelets all identical, given to twelve people. One year later each one is completely unique. Pretty cool.

While our documentation of this experiment is over the Great Weathered Leather Experiment continues in every item I make. If you are interested in following along, check out the board I've started for Wright and Rede in the Wild on Pinterest.

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That is a bicep if you were wondering. Took me a minute too. 

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Interestingly enough, not the first W.L.E.r to discover this. Apparently 2x your wrist size is your neck size. This reminds me of the very first Flea I did where a nice lady picked up a bracelet an asked "Ummm, what part does this go on????"

I wasn't expecting too much to change last month. With the subzero arctic temperatures most of the bracelets are not getting much sunlight. It's like S.A.D.D. but with bracelets.  There is still quite a bit of variation considering that they all looked the same five months ago. 

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I've been told that almost all of the bracelets have recovered from the holiday season and are already starting to think about getting a nice tan in that warm summer breeze....

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#7 Has been adopted and is now in a new home. This one is out delivering mail everyday so I'm interested to see how it ages in it's new place.

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Sounds like #8 had quite the festive season. Not only did it attend numerous social gatherings, but #8 also "bounced from wrist to wrist at a few parties."  Hey, what happens at the Christmas party stays at the Christmas party...

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"The bracelet seems to like shoveling snow." :)

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#12 has reemerged and got a new coat of dubbin in between Polar Vortexes.

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#13 is just having some beans and reading the funnies.

Well, I'm not sure what to say. I blame the holidays.  Here is the Weathered Leather Experiment bracelets three months in (The It's in the Mail Edition).

**Editor's Note** #4 & #9 were photographed by me at the Last Minute Market. Thanks for stopping by folks!!!

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 Hopefully #12 isn't still sitting out in the vineyard?!?!?

#Bonus Round

We are already starting to see a few changes take place. This is the two month Weathered Leather Update. The October Edition:  

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Welcome back #7

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Bonus Round

(Because I'm a sucker...)

Well, we are one month in and already the bracelets are looking very different from each other.

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Has gone AWOL. Where are you #7? We miss you.

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And there you have it. It has only been a month so far and already each bracelet is totally unique. Thanks for playing everyone!!!

**Applications are now closed. If you are just getting here from Facebook or Instagram make sure to sign up for the mailing list to get the drop on fun projects like this.

I spend a lot of time talking to people about how the leather I use  is the kind of leather that ages well. There is a lot of use of the word patina. It's a beautiful and individual thing, but kind of hard to show people if you don't have lots of well worn stuff.

The even cooler part is how each piece will develop its own character based on how the person uses it. Every item I make is handmade and unique, but that is only half of the equation. The other half comes from the people who buy it, carry it around, beat it up, and live with it.

So I have devised an experiment. Twelve lucky individuals will receive a free bracelet. Each one will be numbered and unfinished. In exchange for this bracelet I ask that they document the aging process over a twelve month period.

The nitty gritty:

• These are free. You don't have to pay anything for them.
• Each bracelet will arrive unfinished with a single coating of oil on it.
• Each will have a number so we can all keep track of them.
• Once every month I will send out an email reminder asking you to snap a photo of your bracelet and fill us in on any interesting developments in the life of the leather (IE. my dog chewed on it. I spilled beer all over it. I took it to the beach. I just put some conditioner on it...)
• By submitting photos you will be giving me permission to publish them on the internet. I will not share any of your private information with anyone, ever. Instead there will be an update, for example,  from bracelet 3 of 12 with the picture you shared that month.
• Only one bracelet per person.
• Only 12 bracelets will be made available.
• Please measure for bracelet size carefully as I will not be replacing mismeasured sizes.

The don't be a jerk clause:

• Hey, don't be a jerk. Yes, it is free, but I expect you to send in some pictures and follow up on my emails. I'm too small of a business to give away stuff for nothing. So please help me out and stay on board for the full 12 months.

If this sounds like fun to you email me at Rede@WrightandRede.com with the subject line the "The Great Weathered Leather Experiment."  I will only accept the first 12 emails I receive. Sending multiple emails will only annoy me. If you are one of the first twelve I will send you an email asking for your bracelet size and the address I can mail it to.

Looking forward to seeing how this works out. Stay tuned for exciting updates.