Hermès Jige 29 Noir Elephant

Later pieces are attributed to the 1970s and 1980s. The grain is the animal's own rather than pressed into the hide: a fine pebble crossed by deep, irregular furrows, matte, shifting between charcoal and black across the panel.

Hermès dates the Jige to 1975. It began as a wedding gift from Jean Guerrand, Émile Hermès' son-in-law, to a future daughter-in-law, and takes its name from its inventor's initials. The design is a flat envelope held shut by a leather tab passed through an H. Here the tab and the H are cut from the same elephant hide as the body and outlined in white saddle stitching, the only contrast on the piece.

A note on elephant: The skin is of historical importance to Hermès. The house worked it for a period and has since retired it, so every surviving piece is a record of that chapter, and a piece in elephant should not be ruled out of a serious Hermès collection.

Collector's Insight:
Elephant reaches the market rarely. JANEFINDS has offered it before, including a Kelly 35 Sellier in black elephant hide and two Jige 29 clutches in brown elephant, one placed in 2025 and one in 2026.

Resale Insight:
There is no boutique price to measure elephant against, and the supply on the market cannot grow.