Ron Best

Ron Best makes about twelve knives a year. Every one is an integral — blade, guard, and pommel machined from a single piece of steel. He does all of it with files and sandpaper, no CNC machinery, and handles his own heat treating. He won the W.W. Cronk Award at his very first Knifemakers’ Guild show in 2007, then won it again in 2008.

This piece is inlaid with mother of pearl set into the integral frame — the mirror polish on the steel and the iridescence of the pearl play off each other in a way that changes with the light. It came with a black leather sheath that matches the knife’s restraint: no ornamentation, just quality leather and clean stitching.