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
Porcupine ray of leather called shagreen, had many historical uses. In particular, it was used to cover the hilts of various melee weapons, as its extremely rough texture prevented slippage during battle. For example, the Japanese deemed it the only species whose skin was acceptable for covering sword grips. The Malayans used it to cover shields. The skin was also used ornamentally, such as by the Chinese, who dyed it and ground down the thorns to yield a mottled pattern. The native inhabitants of Funafuti Atoll used dried portions of the ray's tail as a rasp-like tool. Presently, the porcupine ray is