Wooska presents:

Coaxing the Soul out of Stone, Steel & Wood

Co-founders Bill Wirtel and John Iverson started the Santa Fe Stoneworks in 1978. John retired from the business at the end of 1998. Bill is shown here in front of a display in the Gallery that contains award-winning designs and rare custom knives. Recognized as a leader in the field, Santa Fe Stoneworks has consistently produced a range of knives from collector-grade, handmade one-of-a-kinds; to popular, affordably-priced gifts that comfortably fit most any budget or holiday list. As Bill says about his continuing involvement, "My grandfather was a stone cutter from Upper Bohemia, where the logo for the Stonecutters' Guild was called a 'wirtel.' I proudly carry on that tradition." The initial orientation of our business was the application of traditional lapidary techniques and processes to non-jewelry "findings". We decided early on that we did not want to address the regular jewelry market, that, in point of fact, we were crafters of men's gifts.  Over the years, we have produced a range of products, including gearshift knobs, desk pen sets, card/letter holders, paper clip holders, letter openers, belt buckles, gift boxes, key rings, money clips, bolos, and a few others that we've forgotten we even made.  Although we inlaid knife handles early on, we became fascinated by knives in the early 1980's and shifted our entire focus to cutlery. There is as much art to making a knife as there is to anything we could do to the handle. The knife is man's oldest tool, and lapidary work is man's the oldest craft. We have achieved a real marriage between these two art forms.  We are members of the Knifemakers Guild and the American Craft Association. We have five Blade Awards: 1990 for the most innovative design, and the collectors/investors award for 1991, 1994, 1995, and 1997. In 1991, we also received a Niche award for outstanding achievement in American craft in the mixed media category; and in 1992 and 1996, we were Niche finalists in the collaboration category.

A Santa Fe Stoneworks collectable begins its journey when it is mined from the earth or harvested from the sea in a form that bears little or no resemblance to the finished product seen above. It is a journey of many steps. One we travel, some think, to perfection.

Chunks of stone are first rough cut to reveal their structure. These smaller sections are then sawed using proprietary techniques into wafer-thin slices. Looking at these irregularly shaped wafers, an artisan chooses what cuts to make next to best take advantage of areas of consistent color or dramatic grain.

After being cut into usable shapes and sizes, sections of stone are selected and matched to specific handle shapes and patterns according to use, quality, and rarity. As you can see in the photo above, some pieces are being arranged in patterns which will be separated by silver spacer-wire on the finished piece. In this particular case, entire handles will be made up of a single type of stone.

After the stone is permanently adhered to the knife blank using a proprietary process, it is shaped to more closely match the contour of the specific handle or item. The edge is then rolled to begin the process of making the piece comfortable to hold and a pleasure to handle.

Each assembled, roughed knife undergoes a meticulous process of final shaping and polishing. Step after step is taken, turning the final piece into the exciting finished product you will treasure for years to come, or as a gift to give with pride.

Each finished piece is inspected and the workings of each folding knife are checked for smooth, flawless functioning -- what we in the business call the "walk and talk" of the knife. We only ship finished pieces that meet the most stringent standards.

Orders are carefully filled. No machines here. We do it all the old-fashioned way... piece by piece according to your expressed wishes and preferences. And, we do it with a smile.