Coutellerie Chambriard, "Le Compagnon" - A Truly Elegant Example of a "Le Thiers" Knife

"Le Compagnon" is a "Le Thiers" knife, made by the cutlery company Chambriard, a family business that goes back to 1880.

http://www.coutellerie-chambriard.com

Over several hundred years the French city of Thiers has been the capital of the French cutlery industry. During the 14th and 15th century, the forgers, grinders and cutlers gained fame for their blades and knives, and by the end of the 18th century, around 10,000 people worked in the cutlery industry of Thiers. With fame came wealth, however, over the centuries it became clear that one thing was missing, something that could represent the city's rich heritage.

As you all know, there are more French cheeses than days in a year, each village in France has its own cheese, but until 1995 there hasn't been a single knife with the name "Thiers". So in 1994 several cutlery companies from Thier decided to change this, and they founded the brotherhood of the Thiers knife. The goal was to create a knife that would reflect the city's long tradition of knife making. And one year later, the brotherhood released the first "Le Thiers" knife. The founding members of the brotherhood did not only define the design guidelines, they also came up with a set of rules and standards.

So "Le Thiers" is more of a concept rather than a specific knife pattern. There's a formal process that ensures that only high quality knives are allowed to carry the name "Le Thiers". If a cutlery company comes up with a new prototype, this prototype must be submitted to a commission of the guild for approval. The commission decides whether or not the knife is allowed to carry the name "Le Thiers". Also, the cutlery company commits itself to certain procedures and standards.