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.
