Our Desert Ironwood is sourced responsibly from Arizona and Northern Mexico, from the lower reaches of the Sonoran desert. It is very hard, very dense, and is one of a handful of woods that sinks in water. Ironwood also features some of the highest contrast and striking patterns of any wood in the world. Once used by the Seri Native Americans of Mexico for tool handles, we proudly offer premium grade ironwood on a variety of William Henry tools.
Koftgari is the name for fine gold (and/or silver) patterns inlaid into parkerized steel. This ancient Indian technique, done entirely by hand, involves creating a very fine cross-hatch grid in the steel and then burnishing 24K gold (and/or silver) into a pattern that is bound by the cross-hatch. Parkerizing involves soaking the steel in a boiling solution of salts to oxidize the steel a deep brown/blue. Beautiful and timeless, koftgari is nearly a lost art. William Henry's koftgari comes from 2 small villages in India, home of the very few Indian artisans that still master this technique.
SMOKY QUARTZ
Smoky quartz is a grey, translucent variety of quartz. It ranges in clarity from almost complete transparency to a brownish-gray crystal that is almost opaque.
Smoky Quartz was known as a Stone of Power. To the ancient Druids, it was sacred and signified the potent dark power of Earth gods and goddesses.
WAVE DAMASCUS
William Henry's patent-pending Wave Damascus features a core in ZDP-189 (HRC 67) or VG-10 (cryo-tempered to a hardness of HRC 61) for superior sharpness and edge retention over time. The core of the blade is clad with alternating layers of stainless steel and nickel silver. The billet, 45 layers in all, is patterned with a custom die to create the undulating waves that emerge across the bevels of the blade. This material can be dark-etched for contrast, or etched and re-polished for a more subtle pattern.
