Esposito Emmanuel
Fine Art Knives by Esposito Emmanuel
The quality of finishing of knives by Emmanuel Esposito cannot be called anything other than jewelry art. Watchmakers can envy the unusual mechanics of his folders.
Emmanuel is from Turin. All the men of the Esposito family are hereditary mechanics, they owned a workshop in the suburbs, where Emmanuel spent his childhood. His grandfather taught him to work with his hands. Grandfather was a legendary person, he did not receive special education, but mastered the profession in practice. He started his business in the late forties. The market of post-war Italy experienced a shortage of materials and industrial equipment, taking advantage of the situation, the self-taught Esposito set up his own production of milling and turning machines.
Grandfather taught Emmanuel to bring his dreams from the fantasy world to the real world. The boy constantly made trinkets and tried to revive them with the help of invented mechanisms. At the age of 15, Esposito decided to make himself a knife. Like most knife makers, the first experience was a simple fix. He consulted with thematic books and magazines while making it. And gradually he took a fancy for knife making. Soon, Emmanuel went to a knife exhibition in Milan, where he realized his calling.
For several years the Knife maker has perfected his skill with fixed blade knives. Emmanuel was looking for his own style, creating sophisticated models with exquisite designs. Among the finishing materials, Emmanuel is especially fond of mother-of-pearl. The mosaic of the finest work became a kind of brand mark of the master. The Italian himself cuts the mother-of-pearl into the smallest details, sorts them by color, and then assembles them into a skillful inlay. In the decoration of his small masterpieces, the master also uses turtle shells, carbon, mokuti, gold, and other elite materials.
At some point, Emmanuel Esposito realized that he could fully realize himself only in folders because only in folding knives he can put mechanics at the service of aesthetics. In most of his knives the blade is completely hidden in the handle when the knife is closed. At first, Emmanuel copied simple designs of liners and frames locks. Then he switched to more complex push-button systems. In the end, the Knifemaker designed and patented his own c-locks and double c-locks (subtypes of Piston locks).
However, Emmanuel Esposito is not limited to inventing new locks and improving the opening system. A hereditary mechanic invents and builds completely non-standard mechanisms into his knives, the master calls such folders conceptual. For example, the Double Agent Dagger model has double-sided scales that can be turned over by changing the appearance of the handle. And the handle of the Mata Hari knife is shortened in the open position and lengthened in the closed position.
Recently, Emmanuel Esposito expanded the horizons of his craft and started making men's accessories. So far, his collection is small: the master has created an unusual clip for banknotes in the shape of a scarab beetle, with a push-button opening mechanism. And Emmanuel also collaborated with the famous men's watches brand Urwerk. The knifemaker has designed the closed chronometers, which are paired with the Colibri T-8 Folder. The UR-T8 Colibri watch case is made using the same mosaic technique as the handle of a folding knife. Hundreds of mother-of-pearl rhombuses on both pieces are arranged in a special author's order. 18K gold pins complete the design.
Italy's folding knives cannot be imagined without the creativity of Emmanuel Esposito. The finest mosaic designs and unique mechanisms have made his custom knives are classics in knife art. In the collection of the Maria Stalina Knives store, a special place is occupied by two master folders.
