Sunday Dress + Every Day Carry + South-western Artistry = Stoneworx.
Stoneworx
Sunday Dress + Every Day Carry + South-western Artistry = Stoneworx.
The Stoneworx collection is a line of Rough Riders designed by SMKW's in house artist, Brian Wilhoite. The series uses a variety of synthetic stones that resemble stones found in the Southwestern United States and for this reason bear a striking resemblance to knives made by David and Brian Yellowhorse. Originally 12 patterns made up the Stoneworx line. Today that line contains 14 knives. (The Vietnam Brotherhood Trapper - RR1226 is also normally included as a member of the line by SMKW.)
No doubt the main draw of the Stoneworx knives is their handle material. According to the box, the handles are made of natural material. This box is not 100% clear on what that means. To clarify, The handles are made with genuine pearl and abalone. The other stones are synthetic; which is not necessarily a bad thing. Synth-stones are laboratory made stones which are chemically identical to natural stones. Typically synth-stone is made from waste stone which is ground up and then through pressure or heat treating reformed into useable stone. Synth-stones has fewer impurities and imperfections than natural stone making it more stable to use and less expensive than natural stone. For this reason alone it is being used more frequently in the Jewelry industry. The blue stone in the handle is synthetic turquoise, the red and yellow stones are synthetic jasper.
Hopefully this answers the most often asked question about the Stoneworx knives.
All of the synthetic stones used in the Stoneworx line resemble stones found in the Southwestern United States. The red stone is is synthetic Bloody Basin Jasper, a rare jasper found only in Bloody Basin Arizona. This stone is a favorite of David Yellowhorse (more on that later). The stone is frequently misidentified as "Blood Jasper" which in fact is a green jasper with red veins. Bloody Basin Jasper is a red stone with black or dark green veins. As previously mentioned the only material that are genuine is the mother of pearl and abalone. Both the pearl and abalone have a nice fire to them which seems to dance in the light.
With the exception of scalloped and ringed bolsters, there is no file work or blade etching on the Stoneworx line. I believe most factory produced file work is very easy to spot and quite often is a distraction instead a beauty enhancement. In the case of the Stoneworx knives I think the file work or faux-hammered bolsters would have take away from the simple elegance of the knives. As it is, the scalloped and ringed bolsters set the line apart from other Rough Rider knives.
Several other companies also offer lines similar to the Stoneworx collection. However, none offer this many patterns at such a low price. And while many also have file-worked blades or springs, in my opinion none look as good or are made to the same high standard as the Stoneworx line. The simplicity of the build and the quality of channel inlay of the stones is literally as good as that you see on knives at five or six times the cost. Furthermore, the quality shows throughout the line, from the smallest peanut to the enormous five inch toothpick. While the Stoneworx knife is know Yellowhorse knife, they are a work of art. Furthermore at under $20, the Stoneworx knives make an excellent Sunday-go-to meeting-knives you can afford to use and lose.
David and Brian Yellowhorse: an inspiration to the Stoneworx line?
I can only assume that Brian Wilhoite was inspired by the beautiful knife creations of David and Brian Yellowhorse when he came up with the Stoneworx line. However he may have also been inspired by the old Camillus Santa Fe Stoneworx line. With that said, make no mistake, these are factory made and use reconstituted material. Yellowhorse knives use hand selected genuine natural stones and are all finely crafted, hand-tooled USA made knives. So in reality these Rough Riders pale in comparison to genuine Yellowhorse knife, but they also cost about 1/20 the price of a genuine Yellowhorse!
The Stoneworx line
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RR909 - 3 5/8 in. Canoe |
Description: I'm very pleased with the Stoneworx Canoe. Both blades have better snap than that found on my White Smooth Bone Canoe. There is also very little blade rub for a canoe.
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RR911 - 2 7/8 in. Peanut |
Description: The peanut might be the only Stoneworx knife comprised of only synthetic stones. It has no pearl or abalone inlays.The top bolster is double ringed whereas the bottom is triple ringed. Operation is typical of all Rough Rider Peanuts with the pen blade being a little hard to open (but not nearly as hard as the pen blade on a Case knife)
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RR914 - 4 3/8 in. Square End Stockman
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Description: When in doubt, go big. I normally buy sowbelly stockmans but as there isn't a sowbelly in the Stoneworx line I bought the biggest Stoneworx in the line. Its an impressive size knife that makes for very large pocket jewelry. As you can see it has a slight serpentine shape to the handle. It feels good in the hand. As with most Stockmans, you can expect some blade rub where the spay hits the sheepfoot.
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RR916 - 3 in. Small Toothpick
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Description: It seems to me the tiny toothpick is an ideal knife to turn into pocket jewelry for special occasions so it lends itself perfectly to the Stoneworx line. I actually think Rough Rider could have offered this one in multiple stone arrangements. The photo does not do the knife justice. It is a very elegant, petite knife that belongs in the pocket of a man wearing a bolo tie. (or anyone's pocket considering the price.) Specifications:
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RR917 - 5 in. Large Toothpick
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Description: This was one of my first Rough Rider knives and it remains not only a favorite Rough Rider but a favorite knife from any maker. The bolsters are triple ringed nickel silver with the top bolster also being scalloped. What I like most about this knife is the use of the large slabs of synthetic turquoise. The back side of the blade has the Rough Rider 440/Razor Sharp/Steel etch.
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RR1164 - 2 7/8 in. Lock-back Barlow
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Description: The knife is the same length as the peanut yet due to the pattern it seems much larger. What really makes the knife interesting is that it is a lock-back. The knife uses the standard bolster found on other RR Barlows. Still, for the price, it is an excellent little lock back with lots of class.
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RR1238 - 4 in Neck Knife
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Description: I'm sensing a pattern with newer releases in the Stoneworx line. All of the recent inlays have followed that of the Stoneworx Canoe. The little knife takes some getting used to because of its size. There is gimping on the spine of the blade to provide better handling. Beyond cutting boxes it might be useful for some detail work but I think this is more of a show piece than a true working knife. I hope to see more useful fixed blades in the Stoneworx line. Unfortunately, Rough Rider Opted to release this knife in the plain blue denim Rough Rider box instead of the old Stoneworx box.
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Patterns in the Stoneworx collection:
* Added to the original line of 12 Stoneworx knives.
** The Brotherhood trapper is often listed among the Stoneworx knives by SMKW.
Knives I would like to see added:
First and Foremost, I would like the Scout/Camper added to the line. This is probably the most under-represented pattern in the Rough Rider Line. The liner-lock work-knife (similar to a Sodbuster) would also be nice. And while I'm not a big fan of the five inch lock-back, I think it would make a nice platform for the Stoneworx line. I also think a few more fixed blades would also be a nice addition to the line, such as upswept skinner or perhaps the Ulu Skinner. Perhaps the fixed blades could have leather sheaths with appropriate bead work and fringe. I would also like to see more Stoneworx knives featuring larger amounts of the turquoise. There seems to be much higher use of Bloody Basin Red Jasper in the line and the yellow jasper seems to be all but gone..
