Art Form on the Cutting Edge
A knife can be a Boy Scout’s best friend, an indispensible tool, the perfect accompaniment to a fine steak. When a knife is crafted by William Henry, it is something else entirely—an elegant work of art. Elegance with an edge.
William Henry knives are each one of a kind, made of rare materials from around the world by expert craftsmen. Superlative function, elevated to superlative art, is the goal of the McMinnville, Oregon company in every piece they create, whether $500 or $10,000. They accomplish this by working with materials that are tough enough for daily use and exotic enough to surprise even the most jaded collector—vanadium, titanium, carbon damascos steel, mokume gane (a Japanese woodgrain metal), copper, gold, diamonds, emeralds, black mother of pearl, abalone, fossil mammoth and walrus ivory, wooly mammoth fossilized bone, desert ironwood, snakewood, opals, carved 24 karat gold, and fine silver.
“They are my favorite thing in the store right now, believe it or not,” says Donnalee Gray, manager of Kay Cameron Fine Jewelry in Sayville—the go-to place on Long Island to purchase a William Henry knife. “The materials that they use are just so incredible, and the time that goes into these knives can be up to 800 hours or more of craftsmanship time. They are beautiful, really awesome knives.”
You can view a video review of one of these exceptional knives by clicking here.
The Kestrel, Whitehore blade, for example, is made from wave damascus, with a carved sterling silver frame dotted with saphhires and a fossil mammoth tooth scale that also holds spessartite gemstone. Another blade, known as the Monarch Venice knife, is made with a 24-karat gold frame surrounded by fossilized mammoth tooth and fitted with a diamond in the middle of the handle. Only 50 were ever made.One knife Gray is selling right now is the Patriotic Knife, Mount Rushmore/Eagle Americana Custom, which is a one-of-a-kind, engraved knife with a stainless, “hornet’s nest” damascus by Mike Norris and a hand-engraved stainless stell frame with 24k gold inlay by Jake Newell and sapphire gem stone—and a price of $9,750.
“You can carry it around as a utility knife or you can keep it in your house in a private collection—we have many customers that do that. A lot of the knives are numbered, so for many of them there is a limited amount,”says Gray. “They are like pieces of art.”
For more information or to see an incredible William Henry knife in person, you can visit Kay Cameron Fine Jewelry at 48 Main Street in Sayville, call them at 631-567-1698, or visit online at www.kaycameronjewelers.com.