Knife Maker from the Périgord

Knives have been made here for several centuries, and this knife is said to be the oldest in France.

All the necessary ingredients were indeed present: iron ore (“nontronite”), which had already been mined by the Gauls; the boxwood forests, which provided the raw material; and the pure, very cold waters of the Bandiat River, flowing below the village, which were used to temper the blades.

Since 1928, this cutlery workshop has carried on this traditional craftsmanship, in which each artisan crafts his or her knife from start to finish, through the approximately 35 steps involved in its creation.

The blade is hot-forged at the Laguiole Forge before being assembled here; the handle is crafted from precious woods such as ebony, amaranth, and, most often, boxwood, and is decorated with those legendary pyrographed dots and “flies.”

Today, the artisanal company employs about twenty knife makers who collaborate with renowned designers every year.

Since 2010, the cutlery workshop has held the “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” designation, recognizing its rare and time-honored craftsmanship.