“Vythos” by Tristan Dare

A custom bespoke blade crafted with the iron from a 4.5 billion year-old meteorite, the Muonionalusta, fused with high carbon Damascus Steel to culminate an otherworldly cutting tool. Inspired by the mysteries of our universe, signifies the from Greek translation meaning “the deep” or “abyss” in correlation of the sea floor.

The handle is crafted from an all-steel construction hand-carved to encapsulate a brightly colored Opal, heavily inspired by the fantasies of space and otherworldly life; mirroring that of an ancient relic of history…

The Making

The Damascus steel used in this blade, forged together with meteorite iron, represents a process successful by only a few craftsmen in the world. It begins with two steels: 15n20, known for its nickel-rich composition, and 1084, a high-carbon alloy. When these steels are submerged in acid, they respond differently—the carbon-rich 1084 dissolves, while the nickel content of 15n20 remains intact. Layer by layer, these materials are stacked, heated to near-melting temperatures, and forge-welded into a single, cohesive bar; whilst proactively following a careful process to fuse them together in a fashion that preserves the natural crystal structures within the ancient meteoric structure.

The Story Underneath

“Much like with my inspiration for old fossils and ancient organisms, I like to design my pieces to reflect a sense of ‘uncertainty’. And what I mean by that is, I want my pieces to look unfamiliar and hard to discern, centered towards the carvings. When we look at old fossils, the first thing you typically think is “wow, I’ve never seen a bug like that before”. It’s completely foreign to what you could compare it to or recognize it as, and that grotesque nature of ancient fossils reflects that emotion that I try to reflect in many of my pieces. I want them to feel organically unfamiliar from first sight.”

“This is a piece I wanted to hint closer towards the deep sea, with a lot of inspiration from extinct organisms in which the pattern in the blade itself is directly inspired by the Orthoceras fossils we see encapsulating these ancient squids in stone.”

~ Tristan

Made with intent

Forged from the stars.

  • Yes! Since this blade is also forged with purified alloys such as 15n20/ 1084 steel, holds a sharp and hardened cutting edge great for culinary use.

    With that said, meteorite still contains natural impurities and imperfections, and harsh/ extraneous use is not recommended. Simple, delicate, precise cuts is its intended purpose.

  • The blade is crafted with the 4.5 billion year-old meteor, the Muonionalusta, discovered in 1906 near the border of Sweden and Finland by a group of children who found what they described as an “unusual rock”… Later it was studied to have traveled through the solar system for over 4.56 billion years before striking Earth nearly one million years ago. It was found to be one of the oldest meteorites ever recorded, with a crystalline structure consisting of iron and nickel formed over millions of years; that truly sets it apart from many iron meteorite species.

  • Yes- It’s still always recommended to check local laws and regulations on the import of custom blades before purchasing.

    This blade is categorized as a culinary kitchen/ chef’s knife.