Shagreen Shagreen Shagreen is a type of rawhide consisting of rough untanned skin, historically from a horse's or onager's back, or from shark or ray. In modern times, shagreen is produced from the skins of commercially-farmed Asian sting rays. The word derives from the French "chagrin" and is related to Italian "zigrino" and Venetian "sagrin", derived from the Turkic "sağrı" / "çağrı" 'rump of a horse' or the prepared skin of this part. The roughness of its texture led to the French meaning of anxiety, vexation, embarrassment, or annoyance. Shagreen has an unusually rough and granular surface, and is sometimes used
Chamois leather professional film and video camera viewfinders, as it provides comfort and absorbs sweat from camera operators who spend a long time with their eye planted on the viewfinder. Divers use towels made of chamois leather to dry themselves between jumps, as they can be quickly dried by squeezing them. Chamois leather Chamois leather () is a type of porous leather, traditionally the skin of the chamois ("Rupicapra rupicapra"), a type of European mountain goat but today it is made almost exclusively from the flesh split of a sheepskin. The leather is favored for its gentle, non-abrasive composition and absorption properties.