City of Gold – leather studies of Lead, South Dakota

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of original leather design studies.

A September study. Volume I-A.

Lead, South Dakota is pronounced leed, and it was built by the people who worked the gold a mile under its streets. This September we pressed the town's underground story into leather – luggage tags and journals, with companions for the pocket and the shelf. The collection is called City of Gold; the town coined that name long before we borrowed it.

First, the title the town gave itself. We set LEAD under an arch of CITY OF GOLD, with a crossed pick and shovel behind the name and 1876 beneath – the year the camp took root.

Black-and-white die artwork of a Lead crest with crossed mining tools for the City of Gold leather collection of Lead, South Dakota.

The black tag carries it in gold foil – a city of gold, pressed in actual gold. The golden tan and deep espresso tags take a blind press.

A black leather luggage tags stamped with a Lead crest with crossed mining tools from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

A arizona leather luggage tags stamped with a Lead crest with crossed mining tools from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

A dark espresso leather luggage tags stamped with a Lead crest with crossed mining tools from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

Next, the cage – the timber elevator that lowered every shift into the rock. Ours hangs from its cable and says GOING DOWN, which felt right for an object that spends its whole life being carried somewhere.

Black-and-white die artwork of a timber mine cage and GOING DOWN lettering for the City of Gold leather collection of Lead, South Dakota.

The black fob takes the gold pass too. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A black leather keychains stamped with a timber mine cage and GOING DOWN lettering from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

A sicilian brown leather keychains stamped with a timber mine cage and GOING DOWN lettering from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

Then, the fact too good to leave in the ground: since the 1960s, instruments deep in this mine have caught particles born in the core of the sun. The journal cover carries a shaft dropping from the grass line to a sun waiting at the bottom – THE SUN SHINES A MILE DOWN.

Black-and-white die artwork of a shaft descending to a sun for the City of Gold leather collection of Lead, South Dakota.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

A caramel leather leather journals stamped with a shaft descending to a sun from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

A country gray leather leather journals stamped with a shaft descending to a sun from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

After that, DRIFT – the miner's word for a passage cut sideways through rock. We set it inside a timbered portal in the lower corner of the toiletry bag, for whoever does their drifting above ground these days.

Black-and-white die artwork of a timber mine portal and DRIFT lettering for the City of Gold leather collection of Lead, South Dakota.

A arizona leather dopp kits stamped with a timber mine portal and DRIFT lettering from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

And finally, END OF SHIFT – an ore car heaped with the day's haul, pressed into the base of a golden tan catchall tray. A tray is where pockets get emptied at day's end; we gave the emptying its own ceremony.

Black-and-white die artwork of a loaded ore car and END OF SHIFT lettering for the City of Gold leather collection of Lead, South Dakota.

A arizona leather catchall trays stamped with a loaded ore car and END OF SHIFT lettering from City of Gold in Lead, South Dakota.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

An alternate leather luggage tag render from the City of Gold collection of Lead, South Dakota.

An alternate leather luggage tag render from the City of Gold collection of Lead, South Dakota.