There are a few seasons in which the handles darkened without any mistreatment at all. Theory is that the glue Bal used darkened the handles from within.
Usually, bags from 03 and 04 avoided this, but there are gorgeous bags, now rare, mostly from 05 that suffer from it. If there’s a bag that I’ve wanted for years that shows up in good shape with darkened handles, I’d bite the bullet and have the handles refurbished. That said, even the best work will never bring the handles back to new.
Usually, bags from 03 and 04 avoided this, but there are gorgeous bags, now rare, mostly from 05 that suffer from it. If there’s a bag that I’ve wanted for years that shows up in good shape with darkened handles, I’d bite the bullet and have the handles refurbished. That said, even the best work will never bring the handles back to new.