Engraving is one of the most recognized and exacting adornments on metal, and most of our engraving is done on stainless steel, and occasionally - on Titanium, adding layers of difficulty to the process. William Henry works with a select group of world-famous master engravers to create very limited edition pieces on an ongoing basis. Each edition, or piece, is carefully conceived and executed by William Henry and the engraver, and every finished engraving is hand-signed by the artist.
Gold-inlaid Engraving is another, even more complex, rendition of a classic art form. This involves creating a fine engraving with deep relief, then inlaying 24K gold (or different metals) into select portions of the engraving. If done in damascus, we then heat-color the frame which creates a beautiful darker background to highlight the gold inlay.
Damascus steel was a term used by several Western cultures from the Medieval period onward to describe a type of steel created in India and used in sword making from about 300 BC to 1700 AD. These swords were characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades were reputed to be not only tough and resistant to shattering, but capable of being honed to a sharp and resilient edge. William Henry's damascus is made from several types of steel welded together to form a billet. The patterns vary depending on how the damascus artist works the billet. The billet is drawn out and folded until the desired number of layers are formed. William Henry damascus billets are forged with a minimum of 300 layers. William Henry works with a handful of the very best damascus artists/forgers in the U.S.
