For our purposes here the terms alligator and crocodile as it relates to the cuts and finishes of the hides will be interchangeable.

Alligator hides when processed are classified in two ways. The first and more familiar for small accessories is the belly and flank or side of the hide. The characteristics of this cut is generally regarded as a relatively, although not perfectly, smooth look. In the fashion industry most of the ladies' small goods will be made with a belly/ flank cut. The completed product has the characteristics of the hide with belly as well as flank plate patterns.

On the other hand, the back of the alligator hide, in contrast, will have raised three dimensional bony plates or "horns" giving rise to the term associated with this look, hornback. Depending on the size of the hide these horns can be relatively small to extremely large. For small goods in men's accessories these horns should be relatively small so the finished product is comfortable in his pocket. Boots, briefcases and other items not carried in one's pocket will, on occasion, have larger back horns or tail horns. The horns taken from alligators five feet in length and larger are simply too large and uncomfortable for a man's pocket so most hornback hides are taken from the smaller farmed alligators. Large alligators are usually taken from the wild.

With this beginning we can now move on to the finishes of these two hides. Depending on the need of the fashion industry, hides after tanning can be finished with at least five different and distinct looks and feel - matte, classic, bombe, garment and nubuck. The garment and nubuck are the two least used finishes with garment finished hides being produced for jackets, coats, skirts, slacks and so forth hence the designation - garment finish. Nubuck finished hides have a very, very soft suede like feel but are processed so that they retain their patterns from the original hide. These may also be utilized for garments when a soft suede feel is required. The Bombe finish is very rarely used as it is costly and time consuming to complete. In this process normally classic finished hides are gently heated causing the center of each individual plate on the hide to rise. The result, when completed, is a bubble like look on each plate. Properly done the hide retains the glossy look of the classic hide with what is often described as a puffy look and feel. These hide are usually associated with the most expensive products and usually would not be seen on many small goods and accessories.

The final two finishes, matte and classic are, by far, the most popular in the industry. The classic finish is accomplished by a skilled artist repeatedly pounding the hide using a precision machine. This rhythmic pounding breaks down proteins in the hide and instantly changes the hide from a matte or flat like finish to a shinny complexion. As the machine, with a stone like striker, continuously hits the hide it is at once transformed to the classic brilliant hide. Done by an experienced worker the whole hide takes only a matter of a very few minutes to complete.

If you've ever seen your digital pictures done in a matte finish you'll have some appreciation for the difference between a matte hide and a classic hide. The matte finish does not shine like the classic finish. To create the matte finish a similar process is used to produce the classic look. Once again a machine strokes the hide but much more gently. It brings the hide from being unfinished to being finished but retains more of the original look sans the bright shinny look of the classic finish.

No one cut or finish is better in any way than another. Rarely do buyers even express a preference when purchasing their product. It's simply the alligator industry rising to meet the different needs of the fashion industry.  See www.hideoutflorida.com