LAGUIOLE: The world's most elegant cutlery
"The Laguiole (pronounced Layol) originated as a herdsman's knife and is a blend of Spanish and French influences. Knives in this style were first produced commercially by Pierre Jean Calmels in 1829. Corkscrews were added to the knives in about 1880 when the distribution of wine in bottles, rather than in barrels, became popular. Le Sommelier, the corkscrew made by Socitete Laguiole, was introduced in 1995.
each of our knives and corkscrews is authentic in its provenance, handmade in Laguiole by Forge de Laguiole, founded in 1987 to restore the craft of knife making to this small town in Aveyron region of South Central France. Forge de Laguiole, a prize winner for design in the European Community competition of 1992, employs about 90 people in all.
Each Laguiole is an original piece, hand fashioned from brass, 440 stainless steel, horn tip or precious woods, and engraved with the distinctive Laguiole Bee. On the corkscrew the bee is stylized but present, resting at the tip of the worm. Open a knife or corkscrew and hold it: nothing fits in the hand like a Laguiole.
Conventions, traditions, and care:
French tradition advises that when you receive a knife as a gift, you must offer a coin in return to assure that the knife doesn't cut your friendship with the person who gave you the knife. Also:
Once in a while, place a small drop of oil at the junction of the blade and the handle.
Never snap the blade closed, ease it closed to maintain the edge
To sharpen, use a high quality oil, water or diamond stone, or a ceramic sharpener. The pocket knives are T12 stainless steel.
Please don't sharpen the pocket knives all the way to the tip of the blade. Doing so shortens the blade and it will not sit properly in the handle.
Do not soak the wooden or horn tip handles in water: oil the wood form time to time with a fine wood polish. Wipe horn handles clean with a soft cloth. Polish brass bolsters with any high quality brass polish. Please never soak a Laguiole knife or put a Laguiole in the dishwasher.
all of our horn handles are horn tip- matched from the solid tip of the same cow horn. Horn tip is denser, more stable and has more depth and character than the hollow part of the horn more commonly used in knife handles."
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