French knives manufacturing
Handcrafted cutlery
The art of cutlery is one of the traditional trades that will never grow old. Lovers of beautiful blades appreciate the traditional know-how revealed by a handcrafted knife. 100% French manual craftsmanship handles materials with dexterity, offering a top-of-the-line product with an instantly recognizable design.
A good cutler does the work of a blacksmith, metalworker, woodworker and designer and is also fun-loving. Otherwise what’s the use of imagining and making pretty creations if it’s not to cut the meat, slice dry sausage and slice a handful of onions thinly with relish ?
How about a top-of-the-line pocket knife ?
Do you know what Morta is ? It’s an oak tree from the Brière marshes. Born 5,000 years ago, the oak forest was buried in the soil by geological upheavals due to repeated tos and fros between sea and land. Protected by brown peat then black peat, the oak trees have fossilized, high in silica. It is this mineral that gives the oak a beautiful black colour, like ebony with natural copper hues. That is why it is nicknamed the “black gold of Brière”.
Extracted by hand (with a few rudimentary tools like probes, spades and cranes), Morta bears the nobility of the millennia spent waiting. A crucial element of Brière’s heritage, its name comes from the local dialect. Moreover classic literature places it at the centre of its intrigues. Tales, legends, novels (La Brière by Alphonse de Châteaubriant) and scientific works (Lionel Visset) give it a place of honour.
The Morta knife, a collector’s knife and why not ? Will you place it among regional knives, high-quality knives or original knives ?
Intent on only combining noble materials, the Morta knife combines black and white gold. Mammoth ivory, native to Siberia (Yakoutia more precisely) or Canada, is found after the permafrost. The authorities legalized its trade because it helps protect living elephants. In fact, the value of elephant ivory drops drastically if another ivory is available on the market, de facto reducing poaching.
So you can choose the originality of three small discreet inlays of mammoth ivory delicately positioned on your knife’s wooden handle.
I want to know more about mammoth ivory.
Morta is a noble material that few artisans work on. Atelier JHP is one of the rare artisans to have this privilege. Choosing a Morta Knife is the assurance of acquiring a beautiful regional knife, handcrafted, 100% French and based on local know-how.
I discover the Morta Jewellery store. Hélène, a handicraft artist, imagines and creates her collections around this material (necklaces, bracelets, earrings, all outdo each other for originality and simplicity). How does she do it?
Want more panache? A colourful touch? We offer you a blue border in vulcanized fibre in your knife’s handle. This cellular material provides an azure halo and adds a very original glow to a wood handle. A small modern note were it needed.
Offering an engraved knife combines the original aspect with the object’s uniqueness. As a sometimes intimate personal accessory, the knife becomes unique. Atelier JHP offers you the choice, depending on the model, between 3 engraved characters on the heel and 16 characters on the length of the blade.
For each configuration, 4 typefaces will get you swinging:
Might our head cutler be a rock’n’roll fan?
Find these different options on the As-Forged, Damascus or Solid collections. Each product information sheet tells you the steel (stainless, forged, Damascus), dimensions (blade length) and possible options. Please note that the marbled patterns of a Damascus folding or fixed blade leave no room to place an inscription. It will be engraved on the heel.
Morta Knives began in our Brière workshop. Come and visit us and you’ll see how our cutlers choose and cut the material, etch (guilloche) and take care of the finishes. Table knife, chef’s or multifunctional knife, forged or Damascus metal, folding or fixed, small pocket knife or top-of-the-line, all our creations can serve as hunting or survival knives. If they are not multifunctional, they are full of surprises and good reasons to use them. It’s up to you to put them to good use. Warning to steaks trembling at the idea of being sliced by a Morta knife.
How to store and protect your knife For folding knives, the vertical or horizontal case worn on the belt is preferable. For fixed knives, the sheath is perfect. All are in black leather, stamped with the Atelier JHP logo. Sharpen your blade on a simple sharpening steel or natural whetstone. Also marked with the cutlery’s logo, this makes a lovely original gift for fans of knives, respectful of artisanal products.
Use a dry cloth to clean it. Noble materials require gentleness and care. As for Morta, you’ll understand: after 5,000 years buried under the peaty soil of Brière, it prefers to avoid contact with water.
Find all these supplies on the e-store. Coming soon – some lovely belts in quality leather. I wish to subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed.
