What is common to Damascus steel, a bone handle carved from a hundred-million-year-old dinosaur, a fossilized tooth, a pearl from the Southern Sea, and wood from the legendary Yankee Stadium bleachers? All of them, along with many other rare materials, are incorporated into items and accessories of a discerning gentleman – such as money clips, rings, bracelets, card holders, and cigar cutters – produced by the American company William Henry. Each one of them is a unique, original luxury accessory that carries a story of the material from which it is crafted.
A cigar cutter that is essentially a pocket knife is a very common accessory in the United States, and the company William Henry, which has already created special cigar cutters in this style, recently launched a new luxurious version, Kingman, limited to 500 units.
The body of the cutter (designed for cigars up to 52 in diameter) is made of 6Al/4V titanium alloy, at a quality level used in aerospace industries, containing aluminum and vanadium for added durability. The blade is made of Damascus steel in a manual and lengthy process of folding and forging three types of steel to create a pattern resembling flowing water on the blade. The process is carried out by Chad Nichols, one of the leading practitioners in this field in the United States, and involves no less than 300 layers of folded steel. The turquoise stone on the handle of the cutter comes from the Kingman mine in Arizona, which gave the cutter its name. The handle is created from a zinc pattern that is cast between the turquoise stones to create impressive color contrasts, which are polished by hand to achieve a shiny and perfect appearance. Price: $1,400.
