"My grandfather was a stone cutter from Upper Bohemia where the logo for the Stonecutters’ Guild was called a ‘wirtel.’ I proudly carry on that tradition." -- Bill Wirtel

In the towering shadows of the Sangre de Cristo mountains...

... sits a century-old adobe ranch house. Still as perfectly solid as when it was first built, the structure is a living testament to a time when attention to detail, craftsmanship & pride in a job well done was a given.

Today, is it any wonder that this is where the talented and always exacting artisans of Santa Fe Stoneworks handcraft knives of rare and exquisite beauty?

In a word: no.

Co-founded in 1978 by Bill Wirtel and John Iverson, SFS has long been a proud family operated small business. Recently celebrating their 35th Anniversary, Bill, along with daughter Anna and son Miles, still personally oversees the fabrication of their artisanal, one-of-a-kind creations.

Give a man a gift that he uses on a daily basis, like a letter opener, and he will think of you every day when he opens the mail.

Old fashioned... because it still works best.

Gemstones, American turquoise & intricately detailed wood marquetry are the materials most frequently used to adorn SFS's knife stock, which is made from scratch the old fashioned way: by hand-grinding blades from top notch 440C and ATS-34 blade steel.

(By the way, if you don't know your 440Cs from your 10W-40s, join the club. All you really need to know is that it's STRONG. As in, never going to break in a million years strong.)

By definition, blade steel is a combination of iron, small amounts of carbon, and is typically alloyed with traces of other elements to produce special properties such as strength, rust resistance, edge retention, and more.  Each and every Santa Fe Stoneworks design has those very properties by the bladeful, so keep that in mind next time your current go-to knife can't cut a freshly-baked biscuit, let alone a crusty baguette or Aunt Mimi's holiday fruitcake.

So whether it's a dinner party, cocktail fete, or impromptu s'mores bash in the backyard with the kids, yes, these standout knives will do the job every time. That they are downright lovely to behold and worthy of becoming family heirlooms... well, we believe that makes them as meaningful & full of character as the fine old house they are built in.