Summary
Precious stone inlays enliven knives, build character and enhance the pieces. See how and why in Part II of a two-part series in this excerpt from Knives 2010.  Click here to read Part I.

George Dailey uses diamonds to his advantage by inlaying them in gold at the ends of the handle slabs, along the fileworked back spacer and liners, in the thumb stud and on the gold dangler of the damascus locking-liner folder. (SharpByCoop.com photo)

Informed by the Knife

“Not until the titanium is anodized, the mother of pearl polished and the damascus etched does the knife inform me as to the stones that I will use,” he said. “The gems are the cherry on top. I use them in every single piece I make. They are a huge part of the overall aesthetic. Another dimension is the style of construction that I use. I build all my knives as sort of a layered sandwich, so everything is put together with screws that are never seen. I can use the stones to cover the screws.”

Although the ruby is red, the garnet, he says, is a deeper hue and therefore a favorite. The green of the emerald is a bit garish, but the tourmaline and peridot suit his tastes nicely.

Black-lip pearl handle scales and Turkish Twist-pattern damascus blade steel are accented by iolite stones and garnets set in 18-karat gold on Nuibiru, a creation by John Lewis Jensen. The bolsters are etched and hot-blued composite Gibeon meteorite with citrine, peridot, and garnet insets. Abalone inlays and iolite complement the titanium tang wrap.

“I am a painter, as well, and have been all my life,” said John. “I definitely approach knives very much from a painting perspective. If you look at my work in comparison to a lot of knifemakers, it is pretty colorful. It is more important to use the stone that works with the piece than to use the stone for the sake of the stone.”

One of Jensen’s most recent works may in fact become his most memorable. The dagger includes a blade of Daryl Meier Turkish Twist damascus, deeply etched and blackened through a process similar to bluing, which results in hints of purple and bronze. The tang wrap is a slab of titanium, and the liners are titanium as well. The handle and bolsters are hot-blued meteorite and composite black-lip pearl. The base has nearly 40 stones in it, including garnet, citrine, iolite, peridot, blue topaz and amethyst.

When the plywood mill he worked in closed its doors 18 years ago, Rainy Vallotton accepted an invitation from his father, Butch, to learn knifemaking. Working with stones is a fairly recent development, but has begun to fit nicely with Rainy’s style.

“It’s only been about two-and-a-half years,” he commented. “A customer had some stones and asked me to give it a shot. I used many from him, cut stones to cabochons, rubies to black opals. Stones are very fragile and can be temperamental. I broke a few trying to learn and found that I had a lot more to learn about how and what to do and use in my settings.”

Rainy credits a young man named Torston Bull with helping him learn more about working with gemstones. Polished with a flat side, cabochons are his favor ite, as opposed to cut stones. The glisten and sparkle of rubies and sapphires are high on his list.

“I like to use stones in bolsters, buttons and back springs,” remarked Rainy. “They are the parts that show off best to me. Darrel Ralph pushed me into doing file work, and I soon found that it accented the stones like a wedding ring, adding sparkle and glitz to something that made my knives even more stylish.”

A Single Sapphire

Some time ago, Rainy was one of several knifemakers who participated in a tribute to Jerry Rados and his fine Turkish damascus. Rainy contributed the setting of a single sapphire in the front bolster to accent the damascus.

When Van Barnett married his wife, Dellana, in 1999, the two knifemakers quickly discovered that their collaborations, and their own distinctive styles could coexist and even reach new levels of expression. Van is a veteran knifemaker, primarily self-taught in rural West Virginia. Dellana developed knifemaking skill while leveraging a background in high-end jewelry making.

Among other amenities, Curt Erickson’s dagger features a fluted-ancient-ivory handle, engraving by Julie Warenski-Erickson, and garnets inlaid in gold on the guard and engraved sheath. (SharpByCoop.com photo)

“I had started out early doing art knives and did some elaborate ones,” remembered Van, “but I never incorporated gemstones until I met Dellana in 1997. Personally, I believe gemstones tend to give more depth, three dimensionality, and life to a piece. Actually, I like to use diamonds, sapphires and rubies, and I also cut opals.”

A two-time winner of the W.W. Cronk Award from The Knifemakers’ Guild, Van cites the Garden Of Eden dagger as one of his most memorable works. The 19-inch knife includes a ladder-pattern damascus blade, 24-karat gold inlay, carved ivory, blued steel fittings and 124 diamonds.

Not only does Dellana accent her knives with gemstones, she also maintains an extensive personal collection. “I have always just loved gemstones in jewelry for the color they can bring into a metal piece. I don’t use stones just to blob them on so I can charge extra,” she related. “The whole design has to flow. Gemstones are magic. They are beautiful, and my whole design concept revolves around beauty.”

A lover of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, Dellana is also partial to black opals, cutting and polishing her own stones. One of her most memorable pieces is the Golden Heart sword, a collaborative effort with Van. A Knives 2009 Wooden Sword Award winner, the Golden Heart was a four-year project incorporating more than four pounds of 14-karat gold, 30 karats of diamonds, and a bevy of rubies.

“With my folders, I think the ‘gold-melted’ ones are special,” she commented, “and I always add gemstones to those. These folders really flow organically and literally look like the gold melted down onto something. I want to do a knife that has a handle that is like puddles of gorgeous black opal showing through melted gold.”

The attraction of the gemstone is stronger than a magnet, inexorably pulling the knifemaker and the knife purchaser closer. Whatever its color, cut or clarity, a gemstone augments a piece with sparkle and personality plus.

Click here to read Part I. This article is an excerpt from Knives 2010. To learn more, Click here