antonio fogarizzu crafts knives with intricate symbols using steel, gold, and black pearl

based in pattada, the sardinian town famous for its handmade switchblades, antonio fogarizzu has been making custom knives for the last 25 years. using materials such as stainless steel, gold, black pearl, and carbon fiber, the artisan knife maker creates innovative pieces with intricate details, that can take from one to several months of work to complete.

all images courtesy of antonio fogarizzu

lifestyle images by francesco pachi photography

‘I made my first knife when i was 14, so 33 years ago,’ explains fogarizzu, who went into the art of making custom blades 25 years ago. ‘usually I start by thinking what kind of knife, or object, I want to make, and then I start making hand drawings, which takes a long time as I never use the first draft. when I am sure, I start drawing the knife in the computer so I can measure the shape and size accurately, and then produce all the templates I need to make each part.’

the knives, which can take from one month to complete for a simple design, to several, depending on the complexity of the mechanical parts, are completely handmade in antonio’s workshop. ‘after I put all parts together and correct what I have to, to make sure the knife works properly, I finish each part, but do not proceed with the final assembling before I completely clean the workshop, as dust can compromise a good final result!’

formed using materials such as gold, black pearl, and carbon fiber, the intricate symbols on the knives are usually spontaneously derived during the drawing part of the process. the price range of the custom-made pieces starts at around 10k euros, depending on the complexity and material used. besides knives, fogarizzu has been working in other fields during the past few years, making other mechanical luxury objects such as an adjustable belt buckle, and an automatic credit card holder.

work in progress

antonio fogarizzu at his workshop

project info:

designer: antonio fogarizzu

location: pattada, sardinia, italy