Two's a pair, but three...

[addylo]

... is a collection. Or at least the start of one. Just got the large one yesterday.

Forge de Laguiole, 11 cm ebony, 9cm snakewood, 7cm horn

 

[Ferahgo]

Beautiful collection, man.

 

[scattershot]

Nice collection. Anybody know how to pronounce Laguiole?

 

[addylo]

Nice collection. Anybody know how to pronounce Laguiole?

It's pronounced "Lay-ool".

 

[KBA]

Beauties! Congrats :thumbup:

Didn't know there was a 7cm.

Thanks for the post.

 

[addylo]

The 7cm has the bee/fly but it doesn't have the etched spine or the shepherd's cross.

And it's almost too small for me to handle. In fact it bit me last night when I took it out to compare the three. It was my own stupid mistake but I still claim my man-rights to always blame the tool.

 

[5K Qs]

Terrific trio of really elegant knives! :thumbup::thumbup:

- GT

 

[redsparrow]

Agreed, those three equal a collection. Real nice.:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[scattershot]

It's pronounced "Lay-ool".

Thanks!

 

[arrowhd]

Really like this design. Very elegant.

 

[Jolipapa]

Didn't know there was a 7cm.

There's also a 12cm.

Nice collection. Anybody know how to pronounce Laguiole?

It's pronounced "Lay-ool".

:thumbup:
"g+u" spells as in "plague" when followed by a vowel, but this is a Town 's name so rule does not apply necessarily. The final "e" normally is not pronounced, but this is a Southern name. Southerners pronounce more letters, slowly ( often they add something like "macarel", "putaing con" or "couillon" depending of where in the South they stay. In Marseilles it used to be "peuchère". :yawn: )
La-iol' is quite posh. "La-gu-io-leuh", quick "Lagiolahhh" or slow "La-guu-ee-ol-euh" if you have a Southern accent. Other prefer simply Lagee-ol'.
Complicated uh? You now can imagine our problem with English words, particularly those that write the same in both languages! LOL

Anyway, very nice knives from a lovely small town.

BTW, pre-WW1 knives were straight, resembling today's Roquefort or St Martin.

The cross or other nail designs (sun, circles, losange) is not mandatory at all, even if very common, same for filework. The fly is a trademark. Yours are forged with the spring, a sign of quality, a tradition abandoned for less expensive soldering when the tide was low, recently reinstated.
There was an awl, very useful for the shepherds.
Between the wars the fabrication in Laguiole was abandoned, then all knives came from Thiers, the big city for knives. Then fabrication restarted recently.
There still is a little "war" between the two cities as for who makes the genuine Laguiole knife. Another problem is that now the name Laguiole is protected for everything except knives!. More, the owner of the rights for the name is in trial with the township for that reason.
So you will find Laguiole coming from China or Pakistan...
Here is the one I got in the 90's, before they changed the name for Forges de Laguiole, to ascertain the fact it is really made in the city of Laguiole. They since removed the R for registered (as it is not). There's a process going to get an IGP (EU), Indication Géographique Protégée, something like AOC for wines.

(I hope this link is not against the chart)http://www.forge-de-laguiole.com/en/content/45-the-village-of-laguiole

 

[addylo]

Thanks for the info, Jolipapa! Much appreciated. And great picture of the little town.

 

[Jolipapa]

@ Addylo : You're welcome! The picture comes from the site.

 

[Bobbybirds]

Nice collection! It will only grow from here...

I have been going to France every year now for a while and every time I go I buy a new Laguiole or two or four. Before this year, all have been Laguiole-en-Aubrac but this year I went to the Forge at Laguiole and purchase 2 pocket knives as well as a carving knife and fork set. I will post pics of my collection later...