Paramount Cigar Cutters
First and foremost, Charles Sauer is a bladesmith. The Texan made his name forging superlative cutlery so fine and ornate that his knives are as much showpieces as hunting tools. Eventually, he brought his mastery of Damascus steel to cigar cutters, creating mini guillotines of true heirloom quality.
Sauer does not buy cutters and embellish them. Anyone can cover a mediocre cutter in gold and jewels. Like his knives, his cigar cutters are a culmination of high craft and artistry, made with Damascus steel, created by forging layer after layer of steel and working it to bring out exquisite, wavy patterns. Take, for example, the Mosaic Damascus cutter (top, $37,500). It’s a hand-forged unit of abstract patterns contained by two rows of diamonds on both sides—a clever contrast of entropy and order.
Similarly, note the Bamboo cigar cutter (right, $32,500), also made in the mosaic Damascus method. Diamonds recur on both sides as well, this time against a motif of wild bamboo.
For a more baroque presentation, the Multi-Bar Damascus cutter (center, $45,000) integrates rubies, diamonds and gold. The pictured cutters are but a few of the regular-production models that fill out a large catalog. Sauer also excels at custom work and can make cutters in any format, style or ring gauge.
As for its function—cutting—the action is smooth and the blade slices through tobacco fast and clean. But then once you have one of these works of art, you might be afraid to use it.
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