William Henry Insider

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As a child of the South, a pocketknife was as much a part of the wardrobe as the pants it was carried in, and I was no exception.  There is not a time I can remember not having a Case or Buck or Gerber knife in my pocket.  Little did I know there was a much wider world of knives out there until 2009.  While on vacation in Sandestin, Florida, I stumbled on Baytowne Jewelers tucked in between the Acme Oyster House and the Ice Cream Shop (and across the street from the Candy Store – food and sweets being a real close second to my knife passion). Continue reading →

Hi all, I’m just back from a big trade show in Vegas with William Henry.  As exhausting as these big shows are, it’s always good to step outside the bubble and see what we do in the world.  Left to right: Musician Matt Goss, William Henry Sales Associate Michelle and Matt Conable. While at the JCK event we got to enjoy the Matt Goss Vegas show. And snap a selfie. Continue reading →

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:  What is Koftgari? Koftgari is an ancient Persian technique for inlaying precious metal into steel.  I have an old knife that I found in a bazaar in Pakistan that features sterling silver inlaid into the forged steel...

Edgar Manriquez has been a blade guy at William Henry for 4 years. In fact, his anniversary was last month. His job includes etching blades and handles, doing the WH logo engraving, and hand sanding blades. Edgar spends his weekends running. Literally. An avid trail runner, he also enjoys playing soccer and spending time outside and in the mountains. His favorite food is avocados and the last...

As we begin our WH newsletter, I thought I’d share a little of the backstory of how I ended up here – what a long strange trip it’s been... I’m another one of those college drop-outs that did alright – in 1989 I left Cornell, mid sophomore year, to take a grunt job in a little knife shop in Davenport, CA near Santa Cruz.  Why?  Because at that moment, making things of permanence and enduring value made more sense than studying bold face terms in textbooks.  I loved the way knives combined form and function, art and utility, performance and aesthetics, and I knew that almost every piece I worked on, day by day, would still be out there in the world long after I was gone.  Quite simply, that made sense to me – and I never imagined that it would start me on a 30 year odyssey of a career. I learned quickly, became proficient and then more than that as a craftsman, and a few years later moved to the Arizona mountains and set up my own backyard knife shop in an old horse barn. For three years I made knives by hand, and quickly rose the ranks in American craft. At 25 years old my work was being juried into shows at the Smithsonian and Philadelphia Museum of Art among others – I had arrived at the top of the fine craft market in the US. But, as is all too often true, I was making peanuts – less per hour than waiting tables – my art could not sustain a life and a family. Continue reading →

We're starting a new Material of the Month feature, where we discuss the crazy materials and techniques that drive our artistry. We thought we should start off with a bang and dive right into fossil WOOLLY MAMMOTH TOOTH! William Henry Founder and Creative Director Matt Conable explains where we get this extraordinary material and what we do with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOXMcm3MD7s Continue reading →

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:  How long does it take to make a WH knife? I’ve always answered this question “Until it’s done”. Maybe a little trite, but it’s the truth. It’s also true that we orchestrate a global dance on many of our knives, working with master artisans wherever they may be to bring the best to each aspect of the design. As a result, an average knife takes about a year to complete. Yep, a year. Involves anywhere from 6 to 11 different shops in as many as four countries. We source amazing materials, work with a number of shops and artisans to prep those materials and turn them into precision parts to our specifications, and then go thru 500-800 separate steps in our Oregon studio to craft each knife from those custom parts. Not easy to do, near impossible to copy, and a daily miracle that we pull it off. Continue reading →

Just received another bracelet today. Screams....I love my William Henry jewelry. These rare pieces of gemstone put together are very unique and exotic. I especially love how these bracelets add such a sophisticated look to my casual wear. Not only does it give a bold statement to my attire, these precious stones have healing and protection properties that keeps my...