Our story
Handmade, the old way
Genuine leather, antique latches and thick cotton paper, stitched by hand. This is how a Retqa journal comes to be.
Our story
Journals made the old way, for the stories you haven't written yet.
Retqa Handmade Leather makes grimoires, spell books and journals by hand from genuine leather. Each cover carries its own artwork, from moons and zodiac rings to ravens, wolves and wild botanicals, and closes with an antique metal latch.
Inside, you'll find thick 200 GSM handmade cotton paper with deckle edges, in 200 or 400 pages. It's the kind of book that feels like it has a history before you write a word.
From leather to journal
Five steps, all by hand
The leather
Genuine leather is chosen and cut to size for the cover.
The artwork
The cover is finished with its design, from celestial gold to gothic and botanical art.
The latch
An antique metal latch is fitted to a leather side tab by hand.
The binding
Deckle-edge cotton pages are stitched in by hand, most with leather cross-cords along the spine.
Finishing
Every journal is checked by hand before it's packed and sent to you.
What goes into each one
Three things you can feel
i
The leather
Genuine leather covers, each with its own grain, markings and character.
ii
The details
Antique metal latches, leather side tabs and hand-stitched spines.
iii
The paper
Thick 200 GSM handmade cotton with deckle edges, in 200 or 400 pages.
In numbers
Retqa at a glance
Designs
From moon phases to black wolves
GSM paper
Handmade cotton, deckle edged
Genuine leather
Handmade, never faux