Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Clarau" gemstone handled knife

• Size: Knife: Length overall: 7.5" (19.0 cm), Blade Length: 3.75" (9.5 cm), Thickness: .160" (4.1 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 3.5 oz. Sheath: 3.5 oz.
• Blade: O-1 High Carbon Tungsten-Vanadium Alloy Tool Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C59, hollow ground, mirror finished, hot blued
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Mirror Finished, Hand-Engraved
• Handle: Lapis Lazuli Gemstone (Peru)
• Sheath: Lizard Skin inlaid in hand-carved Leather
• Knife: Clarau is a stunning small knife, adorned in rich deep blue that only Lapis Lazulii can bring. This is Peruvian Lapis, from some old stock I had set back for just such a project. This is the real stuff, not some dyed or stabilized plastic, and you can see seams, inclusions of pyrite, and just a tiny bit of calcite in the matrix. Lapis is not a mineral, it's actually a rock, made up of different minerals, and is absolutely prized for its magnificent color, used for over 6000 years as a gemstone. I knew this lapis would work well with the striking black blade, mirror-finished and hot blued for corrosion resistance. O-1 is a great steel, holds a fine edge, and has impressive wear resistance. This is a full tang knife, with full filework in an alternating pattern reminiscent of an Incan design. The blade has deep hollow grind with good transition grind termination between blade and handle, with plenty of spine to support the blade. I chose 304 high chromium, high nickel austenitic stainless steel bolsters, mirror-finished them and hand-engraved them with freehand leaf forms. The small knife is comfortable in the hand, and with a noticeable forefinger quillon, protects the hand well. The drop point is easy to sheath and feels like an extension of the finger. I put a scalpel-like single bevel cutting edge on the knife.
• Sheath: For this fine knife, I made a sculpted full-panel inlay of chocolate Teju lizard skin inlaid in 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, with inlays also on the back and belt loop. The leather is thick and tough, dyed black, hand-stitched with polyester sinew, lacquered and sealed.
• A great knife for any collection

Thanks, G. D.!