First knife of 2014! Pearl content inside.....

Kyle Royer

Kyle Royer

Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
1,109
Mother of Pearl that is.

Hey everyone!

Here is my first knife of 2014, just finished up. :) I will have this one on display at the Little Rock show next month until it's new owner comes by to claim it.

The blade is ten inches long in a West Texas Wind Pattern. The overall is right around 15 inches. The clam shells on the guard and rear bolsters have been sculpted extra deep and bold. 24K gold inlays on the guard, bolsters and 24K gold domed pins in the handle. The handle scales are made of premium grade mother of pearl. The pommel nut is damascus as well with clam shell theme on it. The engraving is by yours truly. I blued the engraving and then French Grayed the leaves of the engraving which left the borders nice and black with a light gray to the engraving itself. I really like engraving and plan on adding it to many of my knives. :D Caleb did a truly awesome job with the photo. :)

Comments, likes and/or dislikes welcome. Thanks for looking and have a great weekend everyone!


Kyle_Royer_157 by Caleb Royer Studio, on Flickr


Kyle_Royer_157 by Caleb Royer Studio, on Flickr
 
No words can do it justice, Kyle. Maybe the most beautiful knife I've ever seen.
 
Gorgeous. Your engraving already looks fantastic. And they say you're a slow learner :p

Hope to see it in person.

Seth
 
Kyle,

Thanks for sharing that with us. Execution appears from the photos to be flawless, per usual. You know I'm a big fan.

FWIW, I am not a huge fan of mother of pearl (as opposed to black-lip :thumbup: or gold-lip), and that is not my favorite blade profile, but those are nothing other than matter of personal taste.

BTW, love how the fantail on the pommel complements the clamshell on the guard. And props to your brother in really capturing that in the picture.

I'm sure its new owner will be happy and proud.
 
profoundly inspired work, right there.
 
Ken --while i agree with you regarding a preference for black lip MOP, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the black lip oysters grow too small to get enough usable handle material to haft a knife of this size?

A little off topic, but I'm curious.

Seth
 
Thanks for the kind words. :)

Seth, you're right, I would have made the handle out of black lip or gold lip in a heart beat but neither come big enough for a handle this size. I know it's not always preferred but I really like mother of pearl personally. Ken, thanks for letting me know what you think about the knife, pearl and blade shape. I appreciate your input and opinion. :)
 
The thing that always stands out to me about your work is that you take elements that on their own are very "busy", lots of detail, flow, etc, and yet in the end the entire package doesn't just go together, but flows, and each element looks natural next to the others.

I feel it would be very easy for someone to combine all those elements (damascus, varied hand material, engraving, etc), even if each one was well done, and create a piece that would literally be nauseating to look at. But when I look at your work, it's all seems like it all evolved together in some sort of symbiosis.
 
Another stunning piece Kyle. I'm really liking your engraving work. Calebs images, wow!. I hope you will be at Blade this year. I'd really like to meet you and see some of your work first hand. Thanks for sharing your work.
Cheers Keith
 
Awesome knife, Kyle! I'll have to get around and coonfinger it;) Just stunning:thumbup:
 
Kyle,

Another gorgeous knife! I like the way you sculpted the clamshells and bolsters more deeply. They really pop out with a 3-D effect. I agree with Ken on the black lip as being a favorite but it might not have provided enough contrast on this piece. But, I do have an idea for you for using black lip on a future project :).

The Damascus is interesting. It almost looks like a bent ladder pattern. How do you dream up all the new patterns anyway?

Thank you for showing us your efforts and talents,

Kevin
 
This piece is the perfect combination of Elegance, High Art and Bowie Heritage.

The pearl, rear pommel and fine frame engraving of the handle kind of give it a high-end folder flavor.
In fact, imagine a matching folder to this masterpiece. :eek: :cool:

Kyle, you have only been doing this for how long? :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
Kyle: And Happy New Year to you, too. What a way to start! I really like the Damascus and don't think the pearl gives up anything to other varieties. It's depth and flare compliment the overall very piece well. Caleb's photos are extraordinary in bringing that and other details out so clearly. Not easy to do. Given the excellence of your past work, I'm most impressed by the execution and treatment of the engraving and the way it pulls everything together. The contrast of dark shading and highlights, with just a touch of gold, are perfect. Hard to believe you're just beginning with it. I plan on attending the Arkansas show, my first, and look forward to meeting you in person. Bob L
 
Kevin Jones said:
This piece is the perfect combination of Elegance, High Art and Bowie Heritage.

The pearl, rear pommel and fine frame engraving of the handle kind of give it a high-end folder flavor.
In fact, imagine a matching folder to this masterpiece. :eek: :cool:

Kyle, you have only been doing this for how long? :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Click to expand...

Exactly! I would love to see a matching slip joint.

Chris
 
That is really a knockout Kyle. Beautiful work. I will definitely need a closer look in Little Rock. Caleb, great photo, your work is really coming along.
Brion
 
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