Hand-Chiseled Double-Plate Laguiole Knives

What double plates add to a Laguiole

Picture a slim Laguiole handle, then add a second layer of metal along it, chiseled by hand into a decorative pattern. That ribbon of handwork is what sets these knives apart, and it turns an everyday tool into an ornate pocket knife without changing the slender Laguiole outline. In the Laguiole en Aubrac catalog, no other construction asks for as much work. You notice it as soon as you hold one: the detail is there to see, and you can trace it with a fingertip.

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Watch the larimar double-plate knife

A close look at the hand-chiseled plates and the polished blue larimar handle.

Shop this larimar knife

Larimar, mammoth molar or pistachio wood

Larimar is a sea-blue stone patterned with pale swirls, finished here to a high, glassy shine. Mammoth molar is cut from the fossil teeth of mammoths, and on these knives it's offered in blue or a tiger-striped brown, finished satin to show off its banding. Pistachio wood is the warm option, golden with darker streaks, also satin-finished. If you want a dress pocket knife for the office or an evening out, the stone and the molar draw the eye, while pistachio stays understated. The slim Laguiole outline slips easily into dress pants. Natural handles all differ, so yours will carry its own markings.

Choosing your double-plate Laguiole

Start with the handle, since all of them carry the chiseled plates. Then think about a corkscrew. A single blade keeps the profile lean, and with a corkscrew model you can open the wine at dinner too. As for the finish, stone and horn get a high polish, while many woods and the mammoth molar are satin. Whichever you choose, it's handmade in France by Laguiole en Aubrac, and the blade bears Laguiole en Aubrac's name. Laguiole names a style of knife, not a single maker, which is why the name on this blade matters. To learn how the technique works, read Laguiole Double-Plates Knives.

Double-plate Laguiole questions

Each knife comes with a care guide: hand-wash it, towel it dry and never put it near a dishwasher.