Laguiole Collector Knives: Signature & Marquetry

Butterfly, fleur-de-lis or square and compass: the Signature emblems

On the Signature pieces, a sculpted emblem crowns the handle. The Butterfly collection sets a butterfly chiseled in relief against stabilized wood in green, coral red, yellow or blue. You'll find a fleur-de-lis atop a snakewood handle and a sculpted bunch of grapes, and the Prestige models add chiseled plates. For Freemasons there is the Masonic knife, crowned with the square and compass, on black ebony or on a checkerboard handle. Every emblem is chiseled in fine detail, so it looks like a tiny sculpture when you turn the knife in your fingers.

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Watch the fleur-de-lis collector knife

A close look at the sculpted fleur-de-lis, the chiseled plates and the spotted snakewood of this Laguiole.

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Marquetry handles: checkerboards, stripes and mosaics

Marquetry means fitting pieces of wood, and sometimes other materials, together to form a pattern, and Laguiole en Aubrac uses it in several ways. Checkerboard handles alternate two contrasting materials in neat squares. Bicolor handles set thin strips of wood, dyed all the way through, on the diagonal for bold stripes in pink, brown, blue-green or green with violet glints. Then come the mosaics. Orgue lines up colored segments like organ pipes or piano keys. Étincelle crosses long light and dark strips with small colored squares. Woodstock is a patchwork of mixed woods. Whichever you choose, you can't feel a single seam under your fingertips. To see how the technique works, read Marquetry in Artisanal Knife-making.

Ebony and stone, spiral handles and fuller shapes

The Nox Pretiosa pieces join black ebony and a polished stone in one handle, with finely chiseled plates, so your thumb moves from warm wood to cool mineral. Other designs play with form: the Crocus and Dodu models have a rounder, fuller handle, and the twisted handles are carved into a spiral out of a single solid piece. Any of them makes a strong first piece or a standout addition to a knife collection. For the full story of the ebony and stone pieces, see Nox Pretiosa Collection.

Collector knife questions

Your knife arrives with care tips. Wash it by hand only, dry it right away, and don't ever send it through the dishwasher.