GEC's BLP Looking Glass shore is purdy

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Rick

Rick

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Nov 27, 1998
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This stuff puts on quite a show. Lotsa fire and movement, and unlike all but the finest bona fide BLP, the pearl's "eye" appears wide open from most any angle. Not too shabby for a mere sliver of shell laminated to a hunk o' clear acrylic.

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Sure wish they'd offer this svelte beauty with a single Wharnie...
 
Man, that is some pocket jewelry! I kind of like the California (or muskrat) clip blade just like they have it.
 
That is awesome!!

I am not much a fan of the "plastic" GEC handles, but something like that is changing that opinion.
 
Absolutely stunning! I love that! You don't need to worry about that looking glass acrylic cracking if you drop the knife like you would if it were solid acrylic. (I'm not sure if that's a legitimate concern with regular pearl- but I would worry about it.)

GEC has made that pattern with a single wharnie blade. The GEC / Bark River hybrid- "Scagel" Fruitport.
fruitport_wharn_bone_300.jpg
 
You are absolutely right. It most surely is purdy!
 
Even though I'm a wharncliffe nut, that clip looks pretty doggone good. That's a nice looking knife and I just love black lip pearl and gold lip too and plain MOP and Abalone and Paua. So, yeah, that's a pretty sharp knife.

Ed

This is post 499. I'll be hitting 500 tomorrow most likely and I have to find me a knife to give away to celebrate. My, my! Time flies when you're having fun.
 
So that is real black pearl under clear acrylic? Stunning! And you wouldn't have to be as careful with it.
 
I'm not really a fan of what I would call "alternative scale materials" but that is really cool looking....

Thats one of those you could just sit and stare at for long periods of time
 
I wonder what something like that would look like after riding in a pocket for a while and undergoing the usual scratching and wear that occurs.

I am completely unfamiliar with acrylic materials like this in traditional styled knives and how they hold up and look after normal wear and use.
 
Rick, those are simply amazing pictures. Thanks for the detailed view.

Those may be the most beautiful handle covers I have ever seen.
 
That's a knock-out Rick!!!! At first glance it appears that the pins float on top of the scales. As usual, your photographic skills shine (pun intended).:thumbup:
 
That is purdy! Do you know if they offer this handle material on the toothpick?

- Christian
 
rick please gift me your photo skills. the knife almost looks like 3d. the black pearl is real-- a thin slice inserted into acrylic somehow. should'nt have to worry about cracks. as with any plastic contact like rubbing next to coins & keys may fuzz the surface a little but some clear shoe polish or rennanise wax can bring back the brightness. bear in mind many synthetic floor finishes & clear coat on some autos is acrylic based so it's tuff stuf.
dennis
 
Thanks for the comments, guys.

If you look at the last edge-on photo, you can see a dark line at the inner surface of the scales adjacent to the liners and about the same thickness. That's a slice of genuine BLP laminated to the acrylic. The clear convex scale acts like a lens that magnifies the pearl, which exaggerates its figure, depth and color; a pretty neat idea that keeps the cost way down and the durability way up.

Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, but unlike the abalone Looking Glass scales I've seen, the white and black lip pearl lamanants are one continuous piece, rather than a mosaic of two or more sections, so there are no seam lines to break up the visual flow of the shell.

In addition to Dennis' suggestions, you can buy a cheap acrylic polishing kit at most aquarium shops that will easily remove scratches and surface haze.
 
rick if i understand the abalone they somehow separate the colored plates from the shell matrix & reassemble these scales into sheets. you are correct in seeing what is essentially a bunch of abalone flakes stabilized in the acrylic. i think on the black pearl we are actually getting one solid but very thin section of product.
dennis---maybe joebob or latham can add to our knowledge.
 
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