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Laguiole Knife Pattern
Published: January 5th, 2025
The knife that would come to be called the Laguiole took shape in the first half of the nineteenth century in the Aveyron Aubrac region of southern France, an elevated plateau of pastureland and stone villages. In the years before 1830, people around the village of Laguiole carried simple folding knives descended from the capuchadou, a regional peasant pattern with a straight handle, a narrow blade, and no locking mechanism. These knives were used daily for eating, cutting cord, trimming wood, and the small, repetitive tasks that filled long days of agricultural work. They were made locally, often by blacksmiths whose primary work had little to do with cutlery, and they varied widely in size and finish.
Around 1829, a distinct local form began to separate itself from the capuchadou. The change is commonly associated with Pierre-Jean Calmels, a cutler working in Laguiole who responded to requests from local users rather than trying to invent something new. Some of those users had spent time working beyond the region and returned with knives they had carried elsewhere, including Spanish navajas with longer blades and stronger springs. The influence was not copied directly, but it did influence designs. The Laguiole blade became longer and more tapered, with a finer point that handled food preparation and light cutting more cleanly, and the spring was made stronger, giving the knife a more secure open position without adopting a true lock. The handle took on a subtle curve that followed the hand instead of remaining straight.
By 1840, another tool was added that tied the knife even more closely to the work of the region. A folding awl, often referred to as a poinçon, appeared alongside the blade. For shepherds and cattlemen, leather was constant. Harnesses, straps, and packs failed in the field, and repairs had to be made where the work happened. The awl gave the knife a second purpose without increasing what had to be carried. In some cases, it also served a veterinary role when livestock bloated and needed immediate relief.
Through the middle of the nineteenth century, the Laguiole remained a regional object. It was bought, carried, sharpened, and replaced without ceremony. Handles were made from materials that were available and familiar: horn, bone, and later wood. Decoration was minimal. Springs were often plain, and bolsters were simple or absent altogether. These knives were not marked consistently, and many carried no maker’s name at all.
That began to change as people from Aveyron left the region in search of work. Throughout the nineteenth century, many migrated seasonally or permanently to cities, especially Paris, where Aveyronnais communities formed around cafés, butcher shops, and small businesses. They carried their knives with them. In urban settings, the Laguiole encountered new kinds of use. It still cut bread and sausage, but it was also used behind counters and tables.
- The Laguiole knife comes from the town of Laguiole (pictured above) in the Aveyron Aubrac region in the south of France
- Pierre-Jean Calmels is commonly associated with the development of the Laguiole knife
- By 1840, the poinçon (awl) (pictured above) was added to the Laguiole knife
- Laguiole knife handles were commonly made of horn, bone, and later wood with minimal decoration
- During the late 1800s, people left the Aveyron region, bringing the Laguiole knife to different regions of France
In 1880, the corkscrew was introduced into the Laguiole handle. Opening bottles was part of daily work, and carrying a separate tool was inconvenient. The corkscrew folded neatly into the handle alongside the blade and, when present, the awl. This addition did not replace earlier forms. Knives with awls continued to be made, and some users preferred them. The Laguiole was not standardized. It was flexible, shaped by what people asked for and what makers were willing to produce.
As demand increased, production shifted away from the village of Laguiole itself. Thiers, a cutlery town in France with centuries of experience and an established division of labor, became the center of Laguiole manufacturing. By the 1860s and 1870s, Thiers workshops were producing most Laguiole knives, even as the pattern retained the name of the village where it originated. In 1868, the Laguiole name was registered as a trademark in Thiers, an early sign that the knife was becoming a commercial product rather than a purely regional tool. This registration did not secure exclusive rights in the way modern trademarks do, but it marked a shift in how the name was understood.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Laguiole had become recognizable beyond Aveyron. Its curved handle, long blade, and optional corkscrew set it apart from other French folding knives. Decorative elements began to appear more frequently. Filework on the spring became more common, and the motif that would later be called the “bee” or “fly” began to take shape at the end of the spring. Early examples were simple and inconsistent, sometimes resembling a teardrop or leaf more than an insect. There is no evidence that this feature held symbolic meaning at the time. It served as a visual end to the spring and decorative work, nothing more.
- As demand for the Laguiole knife grew, production shifted to Thiers, France
- In 1868, the Laguiole name was registered as a trademark in Thiers
- By the end of the 1800s, the Laguiole began to feature the now iconic "bee" or "fly" at the end of the spring
The twentieth century brought further distance between the Laguiole as a working object and the Laguiole as a named product. Industrialization allowed for greater output, and knives bearing the Laguiole name were sold throughout France and beyond. At the same time, production remained fragmented. Many workshops made Laguiole-style knives, often subcontracting parts and assembly. There was no single authority controlling design or quality. As a result, the name “Laguiole” became descriptive rather than protected. It referred to a general shape and style rather than to origin.
After the Second World War, changes in daily life reduced the role of the pocketknife in urban France. Eating habits shifted, work environments changed, and laws governing carry became more restrictive. The Laguiole did not disappear, but its function continued to drift. By the 1960s and 1970s, it was increasingly sold as a gift item, particularly associated with dining and regional identity. Decoration increased accordingly. Highly polished bolsters, exotic handle materials, and elaborate filework became more common. For many buyers, the knife was no longer something to be sharpened repeatedly and carried for decades. It was something to be opened at a table or displayed.
This shift opened the door to widespread misuse of the name. By the late twentieth century, Laguiole knives were being produced far outside France, often at low cost and with little connection to the original pattern beyond a general outline. Because the name had never been legally protected as a geographic indication, it could be used freely. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Laguiole-branded knives flooded the market, many of them poorly made and entirely detached from the region that gave the knife its name.
In 2001, a turning point came when Forge de Laguiole, a workshop located in the village of Laguiole itself, was established to return production to its place of origin. The effort did not seek to recreate nineteenth-century working knives exactly. Instead, it focused on controlled production, identifiable origin, and consistent quality. At the same time, several established Thiers makers continued to produce Laguiole knives, some maintaining traditional construction methods, others embracing modern tooling. The pattern now existed in multiple parallel forms, from utilitarian to ornamental, from locally made to globally sourced.
Legal battles over the name followed. In 2012, the European Court of Justice ruled that “Laguiole” could not be monopolized as a trademark for cutlery because it referred to a place name long used generically.
Today, the Laguiole exists in tension between history and commerce. Some makers focus on traditional proportions, restrained decoration, and practical construction. Others produce knives that bear little resemblance to the tools once carried across the Aubrac, aside from a curved handle and a stylized bee. The pattern has survived not because it was preserved intact, but because it adapted to changing use, migration, and markets.
Written By
Drew Clifton
Drew is the lead writer for SMKW's Knives 101, crafting informative and engaging content for the world’s largest knife store. With expertise in knife history, design, and functionality, Drew delivers articles and product descriptions that educate and inspire knife enthusiasts at all levels.
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T.C. Barnette
T.C. Barnette is a dynamic media personality and the esteemed spokesperson for SMKW (Smoky Mountain Knife Works), where his passion for knives intersects with his captivating on-screen presence. With a magnetic charisma and deep expertise in cutlery, T.C. has become a beloved figure in the knife community.