Nice and pliant, leather wrapped. Pretty, metal core. Did I mention this thing is pretty? Tiny buds trace up the shaft of the crop with a blooming rose made from leather petals at the top. A strong loop of leather comes off the base for one's wrist, though we never use it. This is much stronger than our other crops, so if you're looking for a crop that can take a bit of a beating, then this is one to go for (no pun intended).

This particular crop is actually rather simple. It's a metal core wrapped in colored leather. Black, green, and red, to be specific. The leather is 'braided' over the core with the decorative pieces woven in under the braiding to hold them in securely. It's a long story as to how that's done, and I'm honestly not all that good at explaining it. But this braiding makes it VERY hard to pull the leather off of the core. Basically, this is a piece that will retain new or almost new quality for years if properly cared for.

Use of this: it's a crop. It's bendy enough where it won't easily snap, but steady enough that it's not floppy. The handle really is only big enough for one hand manipulation. A simple flick of the wrist is all that is required to elicit a nice, sharp slap sound against the skin from this little beauty. The rose petals and pseudo thorns, if you mark easily or if you get a nice slap with them, will leave small red marks on the skin in the shape of them. I had a nice petal shape on my bum for a couple days after the hubby got particularly enthusiastic one night.

The care and cleaning are simple. If you happen to have them in your house, baby wipes are great. I just use them when the toy gets dusty or dirty. Other than that, it just stays in my drawer. Wipe it down as needed with a damp cloth and let it dry is all you need to do for cleaning; for storing it, it can sit in a drawer, on a dresser, or wherever you have space for it, so long as it's dry.

We kept loving this dear beautiful piece right up until we moved. Then, unfortunately, a box went bouncing down the stairs with this in it, and it halfway came out. It landed wrong, and snapped in half. I will be purchasing another, because if it hadn't been for a really crappy accident, we'd still be using this!