Have a question about the William Henry multiverse? Email community@williamhenry.com and Matt will choose a couple to answer in this monthly forum...

Question:  Do you use any ivory material?

Nope.  OK, a little more info.  We’ve never used new ivory in any form – I NEVER wanted to be part of an industry that has such awful stories connected to it.  In the past, we used fossil ivories – these were fossil pieces from wooly mammoth, mastodon, and walrus ivory that ranged from 6000-10000 years old.  They were amazing materials, gorgeously imbued with colors from minerals leeching into them over thousands of years under snow or under water.  But over the last 10 years, state after state has passed laws prohibiting the use or sale of ANY ivory product regardless of history, origin, etc.  Some states still allow fossil ivories like we once used, but it just looked too complicated to play a state by state game.  Do I agree with the laws?  Doesn’t matter, they are what they are.  So we discontinued all fossil ivories, and the pieces we did make back in the day immediately shot up in collectability and value.  Got one?  Lucky you.  Didn’t get one?  No worries, we’re always finding amazing new storied materials to use at William Henry, so keep your eyes out for our next offering...

Question:  Who uses their WH and what for?

This question is mostly about our knives.  No one is afraid to use our beautiful writing instruments, or load their money clip, or stack up their favorite WH jewelry and walk out the door.  But often people think of knives only as tools, and imagine that our knives, elevated to art, are somehow not for using.  WRONG. 

When I started out, I designed knives I loved, then figured out how to make them to a standard that stood among the finest tools in the world.  I knew if I made a great tool first, then I could adorn that tool while maintaining the foundational credibility of performance.  WH delivers that performance across the board.  And for many, that performance is appreciated at least as much as the art.  People use WH knives for daily tasks like opening boxes, letter, peeling fruit, etc.  People use WH knives in the line of duty, in law enforcement, the military, and first responders.  People use WH knives in their pursuit of outdoor sports from hunting and fishing to trekking and climbing.  People use WH to help them move thru and shape the world they occupy.  And I’m proud that they do.

The Tradition Continues...

About 5 years ago, we lost my step-dad, Jim Shamblin, after a long battle with Post-Polio Syndrome.  Luckily for me, Jim and I developed a special bond over the years that I will always treasure, and he sealed it with his beloved collection of William Henry knives.

Jim Shamblin was a “man’s man” and had the kind of life you only read about in adventure novels.  As a teenager, he joined the Merchant Marine during WWII, and was the sole survivor when the tanker he was serving on was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the coast of India.  After floating on a drum for a week, Jim was rescued by another US tanker.

Jim ended up joining the Army and served in post-war Germany, and eventually in Vietnam, where he survived a helicopter crash.  He became an engineer and worked on projects for the Department of Defense, NASA, the US Air Force, as well as international companies and foreign governments. And, in his retirement, Jim wrote 6 novels, largely autobiographical, about some of the amazing episodes in his life.

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Shannon Jewelers in Spring, Texas has been carrying William Henry for a little over 6 months and they already have many great stories to share. One of our favorites is: "We have a long time customer here at Shannon's who has purchased many items of jewelry for his wife.  But the only items he has liked in the past have been the high-end watches.  As soon as we brought the WH line into the store, he was hooked!  He loves them so much that he follows the line, watches for any new knives to come in, AND the couple accompanied us to Las Vegas for the JCK show and shopped the William Henry case while we were there.  His wife is SO thankful that she finally has something other than high-end watches to give as gifts to her husband.  She said he's running out of wrists but he always has room for fancy knives!"

Thanks for sharing Shannon Jewelers!

Follow Shannon Jewelers:

facebook.com/ShannonJewelersLLC/

https://www.instagram.com/shannonjewelers/

http://shannonjewelers.com/

If you have a piece of William Henry jewelry, you likely have Christy to thank for it. A longtime member of our team, Christy has been with us for over 18 years. Longer than William Henry has even been creating jewelry! Throughout the years she has worked in many different areas of the company, and today she is the head of the jewelry department. On the weekends she loves to spend time with her family……beach trips, swimming, BBQs, movies, or just hanging out. Christy also admits to enjoying watching her husband work on their garden.

I am not one to wear jewelry just for the sake of it; I need meaningful symbolism reflecting my very core. The quality and design of William Henry's bracelets are a perfect match for me, and they serve as bold reminders of who I want to be. They also are fully functional meditation aids and stress relievers.

The Lava Sanctum rides at the top of the stack, stating in no uncertain terms who comes first. It is followed by the Sodalite Tether, which wraps around the wrist twice, and is a perfect representation of my soul-tethers to my better half and my son. The Tether is made magnitudes stronger by the Sanctum. The Sodalite Dauntless is the chunkiest piece in the stack, serving as a powerful reminder that this is a warrior's life and armor and weaponry are required. It connects nicely to my viking heritage as well. When I discovered this piece, it was already out of production, but William Henry kindly created one for me regardless. Finally, the Shaman completes the stack at the bottom. Each of the 13 skulls is a family member or close friend I have lost. It also depicts that mortality is a certainty no matter how hard I fight, and really closes the circle with the Sanctum.
- Juan I.

Want to be a featured William Henry Fan, email community@williamhenry.com

“Hey everyone, we’re super excited to tell you about some knives we are going to be carrying”

• Summer of 2017

I still laugh thinking about the reaction with our staff during that meeting.  They had no idea what I was talking about or what in the world was waiting for them.  Over the past 20 years, we have built up a pretty diverse collection of artists and jewelers who all bring something different to the table.  If you had told me sometime in the prior 18 years that I would somehow end up becoming addicted to collecting knives, I would have looked at you as strangely as the rest of the staff that day.

In short order, most of them owned at least one knife for themselves as well.  Once in a great while, you come across something so unique, so well made, and so dang cool that you can’t help but fall in love with it

And then we went through the same process with the writing instruments, the money clips, and then the jewelry.  All of it has such a broad range of materials and techniques that you can’t help but start up a conversation with complete strangers while holding it.  Whether around a camp fire, signing a piece of paperwork, or pulling out your credit card and cash to buy something, people stop and ask what you have in your hand more than you would think.

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