At Hollywood Love Rugs, we carry the two accepted types of high end quality sheepskin rugs, and those are sheepskin rugs from Australia and sheepskin rugs from New Zealand, specifically from Bowron Sheepskin New Zealand. One might logically ask what the difference is, and why these are considered the premiere sheepskin pelts worldwide and highly prized for home decor purposes. While sheepskin rugs are beautiful and luxurious additions to any home decor, most of our customers are confused about quality considerations.

In the early 19th century when other countries were concentrating on sheep for food production, Australian ranchers were striving to upgrade their Merino sheep’s wool quality. Australian skins have exceptional characteristics: dense fleece, fine fiber quality, natural luster, recoil, and durability. They imported four basic strains of sheep: Peppin, Saxon, Spanish, and French. The resulting crossbred wool, known as “Australian Merino,” now commands a premium price on the world markets.

Bowron New Zealand started in 1881 by the Bowron brothers, has flourished as a family tradition of excellence in lambskin tanning. Their commitment to quality has continued and over 100 years later, the team at Bowron continue to make the name “Bowron” synonymous with the world’s finest sheepskin products. To this day, every Bowron sheepskin is the perfect result of the same methods pioneered in the 1880′s by the Bowron brothers from Yorkshire. Their unique 42 step tanning method has been constantly refined and now sits at the heart of the Bowron Sheepskin story. The Bowron laboratory designs and proves processes that meet the health and safety, and New Zealand environmental standards. Traditionally the making of sheepskins was done at a cost to the environment with heavy water and chemical use. Today the Bowron closed loop process, cutting edge chemistry and advanced mechanical technology enable us to preserve the natural beauty of our sheepskins with minimal inputs and an ever-reducing impact on the environment.

Both Australian sheepskins and Bowron Sheepskins are exceptionally high quality, and constitute major industries in their respective countries. Both are available in dyed colors as well as brown tipped varieties. Both quality products appeal to slightly different tastes. As a rule, Bowron tends to sheer their lambskins, which make them a bit shorter in pile but as it trims the normal off-color tips they tend to be a bit whiter. Australian lambskins are not shorn as a rule, and will be a bit thicker but may not be as white in appearance along the tops. Both are available in dyed colors as well as brown tipped varieties.

HOW ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES?
South American sheepskins are usually less expensive, but the quality is marginal. The wool fiber is too soft and fine for seatcovers. It has little resiliency, the wool crushes and matting occurs. Chinese sheepskin should not be considered. The leather is thin, and the wools very open, and the dyes used are not stable. Domestic (U.S.A.) sheep are raised throughout the western United States and sold at auction. The buyer does not know what breed their sheepskins are and quality varies widely from breed to breed. The pelts are large-that’s good. But the wool texture is coarse and unattractive-that’s bad. The U.S. tanneries, therefore, “moutonize” domestic sheepskin-a process whereby the wool fibers are ironed straight and chemicals added to create “luster.” Springiness is lost, matting occurs almost immediately, and excessive moisture will damage the chemical finish.

Learn more about theSheepskin Rug. Stop by Frank Conn’s site where you can find out all about Sheepskin Rugs and what it can do for you.