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The knives displayed here are one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pieces. I have on occasion made more than one of a particular model, but it does not happen often. I really enjoy the challenge of making something new and fresh.
As many daggers are one-offs, I spend a lot of time drawing, and then tweaking the drawing until the overall aesthetics and dimensions are 100% correct. From this 2-dimensional drawing, each dagger is then first constructed from hardwood and painted matte black to remove all colour influence. Sometimes several guards or pommels are made until the result is satisfactory. Only then are materials carefully selected for that particular design.
These wooden daggers are also kept as a reference work once the real dagger has been sold. Yes, it is going the extra mile, but that is what sets my work apart.
All my daggers can be dismantled for cleaning or transportation purposes.
A few of the wooden daggers
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The Rietveld Knives logo is to be found within a Stanhope lens on the knife. This method of marking his knives is unique, it compliments the beauty of the knife, and it eliminates defacing the damascus blade with an etched or stamped logo.
To view the logo, the lens must be held quite close to the eye like you would with any magnifying glass or microscope.
Stanhope lens: invented by Lord Charles Stanhope, an English scientist (1753-1816). It was ground from one piece of glass with one flat and one domed side. The object to be viewed is placed on the flat side . The convex side is held in front of the eye and magnifies the picture (logo).
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FINISTERE DAGGER
Blade 250mm Overall 400mm
This dagger won the Best Art Knife award at the 2016 Blade show held in Atlanta. Blade show is the biggest knife show in the world with over 750 exhibitors.
The Blade is carved Nebula Damascus, handle is Picasso Marble, and the pommel and guard are cast bronze. Stanhope logo in base of blade.
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FINISTERE 2
Blade 250mm Overall 400mm
This dagger is the sister knife to Finistere
The Blade is carved Nebula Damascus, handle is Verdite from Barberton, South Africa, and the pommel and guard are cast bronze. Stanhope logo in base of blade.
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Small Acanthus Dagger
Blade 190mm Overall 305mm
The blade is a composite of Dragonskin flanking 5 tapering nickel lines snaking their way down the centre of the blade.
The Titanium Guard, engraved by Julien Marchal and octagonal Black Jade handle with turned Titanium pommel completes this dagger.
At the top of the pommel is a bowl with a cobalt blue Titanium pearl in its centre.
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Excalibur 2 Dagger
Blade 240mm Overall 380mm
One of my latest designs, an octagonal Picasso marble handle, with titanium pommel and titanium guard, artfully engraved by Julien Marchal, with a blade of tapering nickel lines flanked with blued Nebula damascus, and a Stanhope lens at the base of the blade in a titanium ferrule.
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Picasso Dagger
Blade 195mm Overall 310mm
This elegant dagger has a Dragonskin blade, with tapering nickel lines down the centre, coloured stainless guard with 24kt gold inlays, octagonal Picasso marble handle and titanium pommel. At the base of the blade is a titanium yoke that points to the Stanhope lens.
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Mystique
Blade 250mm Overall 420mm
Mystique is a large dagger with a nickel centre blade flanked by Nebula damascus and the nickel centre is engraved by Julien Marchal. The guard is a stylised "M" made of coloured stainless steel, with 24kt gold highlights. The barrel shaped handle is chalcedony, and the pommel is also coloured stainless steel.
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Zanzibar
Blade 250mm, Overall 385mm
The Zanzibar Dagger is a project that took over 2 years to complete. I was never satisfied with the drawing and had to redraw it several times over more than a year to get it perfect. The black jade handle compliments the rest of the knife perfectly as do the gold inlays on the coloured stainless guard and pommel. Titanium ferrules finish the look. The knife was named Zanzibar as it's proceeds were to be used for a bike trip to Zanzibar, but as fate would have it, the organiser of the trip had a heart attack and died before the trip could become a reality. It would have been an awesome adventure!
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The Azure dagger
Blade 180mm Overall 330mm
The blade is a Turkish twist pattern with 5 alternate twists, and has a layer count of more than 1500. The handle is exhibition-grade lapis lazuli from Afghanistan; the guard is stainless, coloured and inlaid with 24kt gold highlights. The pommel is an 8-sided cone with differentially textured facets. Spacers are of titanium. The Stanhope logo at the base of blade is in a titanium sleeve. This dagger was featured on the cover of Knives 2011.
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The Joker Dagger
Blade 240mm Overall 410mm
This dagger was inspired by a harlequin with various cues taken from that theme incorporated in the design. The blade is a 3 piece composite damascus, with tapering nickel lines down the centre, flanked by some vividly coloured Dragonskin damascus.
The guard is stainless, coloured and inlaid with 24kt gold, the pommel also coloured stainless with a chequerboard pattern finish. The handle material is black jade with titanium ferrules on either side. The Stanhope logo is at base of the blade.
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Ray Skin Flirt
Blade 140mm, Overall 270mm
The handle of this knife is made entirely out of anodised titanium. The handle frame is tapered and carved, and the scales are raised ray skin pattern titanium with polished highlights down the centre. The Stanhope logo lens is at the tip of the handle. The elegant Dragonskin blade slots into the handle.
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Definity Dagger
Blade 260mm Overall 260mm
The knife was inspired by beautiful ribbons. The pommel and guard are sculpted from coloured stainless steel with 24kt gold inlays, the handle is black jade, and the blade is dragonskin damascus with a twisted nickel ribbon running down the spine of the blade. Ferrules are made of titanium, anodised and matte finished. The Stanhope lens with the Rietveld logo is just below the guard on the blade.
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The Odyssey
Blade 255mm Overall 415mm
This W.W. Cronk-award-winning design features a 3-bar composite damascus blade with tapering nickel lines running down the centre and flanked by Dragonskin damascus. The recurve guard is coloured stainless steel with 24kt gold inlays. Ferrules are anodised titanium. The handle is lapis lazuli (bottom picture) and Wyoming black jade (top picture). The spearpoint pommel is coloured stainless steel with 24kt gold inlays on the sides.
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The Lotus Dagger
Blade 175mm, Overall 300mm
The Lotus has a blade of 5-bar Turkish twist damascus and has a beautiful chatoyance when tilted in the light. The handle and guard is coloured stainless steel with an elegant 24kt gold inlay of a lotus flower. The guard has titanium fittings. The pommel is also anodised titanium and when unscrewed the Stanhope lens can be viewed
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SKYE
Blade 240mm, Overall 370mm
This dagger has a genuine lapis lazuli stone handle and the guard is scallop carved and coloured stainless steel with different textures to maximize the carved effect.
The pommel is carved in the same style as the guard and features 24kt gold inlay.
The composite damascus blade consists of 5 wavy nickel lines down the centre and flanked either side by Dragonskin damascus. The Stanhope lens is in the blade.
At the Knifemakers Guild of Southern Africa's annual Knife Show (5-6 September 2003) this dagger won the Art Knife category and Finest Own Damascus category. I also was awarded the Best Knifemaker trophy.
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PURDY
Blade 165mm, Overall 270mm
This all metal, small dagger has a radical ground Dragonskin damascus blade fitted to a stainless steel handle, coloured and inlaid with 24kt gold flower/vine motif.
The pommel is titanium and when turned out the Stanhope lens can be viewed.
At the Knifemakers Guild of Southern Africa's annual Knife Show (5-6 September 2003) this knife won the Fighting Knife category.
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THE BALLERINA
Blade 250mm, Overall 420mm
The handle on this dagger is exhibition grade verdite, the ferrules top and bottom are anodized titanium. The pommel is an Art Deco design and forged composite damascus. The S-shaped guard is forged with flaring nickel lines. The blade is a 3-part composite damascus, with the centre billet tapering nickel lines flanked by Dragonskin damascus. The Stanhope lens with the Rietveld Knives logo is at the base of the blade.
Ballerina with a black jade handle.
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The Orion
Blade 230mm, Overall 380mm
The blade is a 5ibar Turkish damascus blade (3 right hand twist and 2 left hand twist bars, welded alternatively side by side). The guard is nickel damascus compressed in the centre to give the effect of an outward flare. The handle is exhibition grade verdite. Ferrules are anodised titanium. The pommel is bold nickel line damascus, also with an outward flare.
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THE EXCLAMATION
Blade 245mm, Overall 385mm
The handle is dumortierite stone (hardness 8.5 on the Moh scale) while the fittings are coloured stainless steel with 18kt gold inlays. The blade is made of reptile damascus consisting of 3 wavy tapered nickel lines down the centre, flanked by snakeskin damascus. The Stanhope lens is located just below the guard. This dagger was awarded the "W.W. Cronk - Best Knife of the Show" award at the Guild Show (New Orleans, July 2000).
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THE PROTEA
Blade 245mm Overall 390mm
The handle is sodalite separated by a titanium spacer. The fittings are coloured stainless steel inlaid with gold. The pommel depicts a Protea flower, the national flower of South Africa. It has an engraved titanium centre and 18kt gold and stainless steel petals.
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Excalibur
Blade: 240mm Overall: 370mm
This was the first dagger I made, the year was 1991.The blade featured one of the first pieces of Damascus I ever made, hand forged ladder pattern with around 280 layers. The guard, pommel and fittings are anodised titanium, and the handle is Verdite, a stone native to Barberton, South Africa.
After finishing the dagger, I carried it around everywhere I went for a week, it was then I realised this is what I was meant to do. At that stage I have already made knives for 12 years, but daggers were where it was all going to come together for me. Even now, after 35 years of knifemaking, each dagger I make is very special to me.
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If you wish to be notified of Knives for sale / available Knives or Show previews ... please email your name and contact details to bertie@rietveldknives.com
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