Le morta, chêne fossile de Brière

5000 years ago, in the Briere, following land slides, a beautiful oak forest was completely submerged by the Atlantic Ocean. During the process of fossilisation and therefore very high in minerals, these oak trees gave rise to a black, hard wood which we now call Morta.

This rare wood which is difficult to work gives rise to knives which are original and unique in their design. Le Morta, which became rot resistant, provides robust and reliable knife handles. The resulting knives are useful in a whole range of situations.

Morta Knife

The authentic knife from the Brière

Situated in the heart of the Briere regional park in the Loire Atantique JHP is a cutlery craftsman’s workshop. Right from the beginning my idea was to use natural material sourced locally from my region of France, le Morta (fossilized wood) to create a unique pocket knife which would be efficient and versatile.

I subsequently created other models to be able to offer a whole range of Morta knives.

Le Morta – the knife with unique character

All my knives have some characteristics in common:

• A blade in the shape of a ‘sage leaf’ made from XC 75 ‘carbon’ steel which cuts efficiently and is easy to sharpen.

• For safety a blade locking system by means of screw collar.

• Ideal dimensions for ease of carrying and versatility: 11.5cm when closed and 20.5 cm when open.

• Natural, quality materials.

This knife is remarquably solid despite its lightweight (around 60 g. !)

Knives to suit everyone

The original model is the Morta Massif, with a handle which is made entirely from this rot resistant wood of the same name. The Morta Massif can be further enhanced by the addition of inlays of Mammoth’s ivory and a coin (une semeuse pre WW1) encrusted in the heel of the knife.

As each piece is unique, there is nothing to prevent you from making particular requests: mat or polished blade, decorative engraving, a combination of several types of wood for the handle, inlays…