Pocket Knife Necklace

On the style-substance continuum, this necklace lands right in the middle. A long, eclectic chain from Brooklyn jewelers In God We Trust with a pocketknife by Oklahoma knife-maker Gene Wiseman. You’ll never be stymied by a stubborn cardboard box again (or look better cutting one open).

The knife is slightly smaller than our Sodbuster Pocketknife, co-designed by G. Wiseman and our own Sebastian Kaufmann. It has an ivory micarta handle and a rust-proof, D-2 steel blade, all held together with a brass pins. 

Also, New York customers please note: It’s technically illegal to walk around with a visible knife, so be sure to come off extra angelic.

We teamed up with Shana Tabor of In God We Trust after a chance meeting along a street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The brass chain features interlocking links with intermittent bars, a bead, and a small hangtag.

Knife

Whittle a wooden spoon, slice open a stubborn envelope, or open a brown-paper package tied up with string.

The D-2 steel is tool-grade, and it’s rust resistant, but not stainless, so be sure to dry it thoroughly if it gets wet. The blade comes to you very sharp, but when it’s time to sharpen, use an oiled sharpening stone, or take it to a professional.

This is a slip joint blade. Open it with the crescent shaped indentation and close it by applying pressure to the back of the blade.

Chain

Slide on your own trinkets and charms, or wear the chain with just the knife. Care for the chain like you would the rest of your jewelry: Avoid dropping it in the toilet.

It is a flat draw closed brass chain with a hand forged brass rod, soldered, and oxidized.

Knife

Knife-maker Gene Wiseman worked many a hot summer in Oklahoma forging metal for horseshoes. About ten years ago he started honing his milling and grinding skills as he turned his eye toward knife making.

Wiseman tells us that each knife takes two entire days to make, and at most he can heat-treat two to three blades at a time. Shoeing horses gave him plenty of experience with flattening metal — work that’s sometimes dangerous and requires great attention to detail.

A letter on one side of the blade is code for the year the knife was made (e.g. B for 2011, C for 2012). The other side is stamped with Wiseman’s name.

Chain

This is a flat draw closed brass chain, with a hand forged brass rod, soldered, and oxidized.

Making jewelry since she was twelve years old, Shana Tabor opened In God We Trust in 2005. She and her team work in an expansive studio located in the back of IGWT’s Greenpoint shop. Tabor describes the space as a creative playground, with their “aresnal” that allows IGWT to have control over the entire production process.

Please email support@kaufmann-mercantile.com.  We reply to every email promptly. Or call us at 347 529 5122.

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