Hand-forged damascus
Damascus steel was a term used by several Western cultures from the Medieval period onward to describe a type of steel created in India and used in sword making from about 300 BC to 1700 AD. These swords were characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades were reputed to be not only tough and resistant to shattering, but capable of being honed to a sharp and resilient edge. William Henry's damascus is made from several types of steel welded together to form a billet.
The patterns vary depending on how the damascus artist works the billet. The billet is drawn out and folded until the desired number of layers are formed. William Henry damascus billets are forged with a minimum of 300 layers. William Henry works with a handful of the very best damascus artists/forgers in the U.S.
Fossil Mammoth tooth
From a Woolly Mammoth that walked the Earth at least 10,000 years ago.
Modern humans coexisted with woolly mammoths during the Upper Paleolithic period when they entered Europe from Africa between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago. Prior to this, Neanderthals had coexisted with mammoths during the Middle Paleolithic and up to that time. Woolly mammoths were very important to Ice Age humans, and their survival may have depended on these animals in some areas.
The woolly mammoth is the next most depicted animal in Ice Age art after horses and bisons, and these images were produced up to 11,500 years ago. Today, more than five hundred depictions of woolly mammoths are known, in media ranging from carvings and cave paintings located in 46 caves in Russia, France and Spain, to sculptures and engravings made from different materials.
William Henry's fossil Mammoth tooth is harvested in Alaska and Siberia. It is a rare and mesmerizing material, a living testimony of the dawn of Mankind.
Fine hand-engraving
Engraving is one of the most recognized and exacting adornments on metal, and most of our engraving is done on stainless steel, and occasionally - on Titanium, adding layers of difficulty to the process. William Henry works with a select group of world-famous master engravers to create very limited edition pieces on an ongoing basis. Each edition, or piece, is carefully conceived and executed by William Henry and the engraver, and every finished engraving is hand-signed by the artist.
Gold-inlaid Engraving is another, even more complex, rendition of a classic art form. This involves creating a fine engraving with deep relief, then inlaying 24K gold (or different metals) into select portions of the engraving. If done in damascus, we then heat-color the frame which creates a beautiful darker background to highlight the gold inlay.
Black Onyx
Onyx is a stone that appears in various cultures and it is regarded as one of the most popular gemstones in the world.
It is a type of oxide mineral that has dominant silica ingredients. The stone itself is famous for beautiful, silky luster that also looks vitreous if the stone is already treated and polished. Black colored onyx is of course the most famous and sought out variant.
Onyx is also part of gemstone metaphysical theories and gemstone healing therapies.
