The Western-style handle, sculpted from a striking piece of Arizona Desert Ironwood, seems to melt into the hand. Forged from house-made mosaic damascus, the visible pattern a result of the twisted-and-turned meetings of two carbon steel alloys, Joseph Schrum's 191mm / 7.52" blade tapers to less than a millimeter at the spine one inch from the tip, offering the slightest touch of lateral flexibility along its length. Thin, hard, and sharp, the edge is quite thin from heel to tip, yet Joseph, artisan behind Halcyon Forge, also delivers superb convex bevel geometry guaranteed to provide not only excellent cutting performance and food release, but also balanced strength, stability, and enough material above the edge for the tougher cuts around the kitchen. Of course, the knife, a chef's best friend, is designed and built for uncompromising utility and function, but it's impossible to ignore the subtlety in aesthetic form and elegance, from the classically shaped blade, to the beautiful, hand-forged integral bolster, the rings of black G10 and brass which the bolster leads to, and finally to that ironwood and its uncanny natural comfort.