Like his previous chef knives, this 234mm gyuto by French bladesmith Milan Gravier is instantly recognizable as hailing from his one-man studio. Yet, this one is unique in more ways than one. The process used to shape and finish the blade’s bevels provides, in Milan’s words, an open and honest window into his making process. Tall bevels, convex in every direction, brought to a high polish from spine to edge, with the damascus’ pattern revealed not through an etching process as is typical, are all the result of a methodical, artful, and exacting process using only stones. With the blade’s profile forged and shaped, Milan uses stones only to attain the final geometry, allowing them to contact every inch of the blade’s surfaces thereby producing a cutting tool that will wear evenly, be easy to maintain, and will move smoothly and effortlessly through ingredients. From these stones which hone the nuances of edge geometry itself, Milan moves on to a progression of finer and finer finishing stones, the first phase completed with natural Japanese bench stones, and further still, culminating with finger stones for the beautiful sheen witnessed here. It is the movement across these stones which reveals the damascus cladding’s pattern, a pattern which in turn provides a window into Milan’s forging process through which each hammer blow and the resulting movement of material is represented across the bevels’ surfaces like a unique fingerprint never to be repeated. Designed as the chef’s daily workhorse, the blade stands 55mm-tall at the heel, its rounded spine tapering steadily forward before reaching a glass-thin tip perfect for slicing and detail work. Balancing just over an inch in front of the handle’s sculpted damascus steel bolster, the knife is steady and powerful in the hand. Meeting the bolster with stepped, heirloom fit-up in a classic, tapering wa form is a stunning piece of thuya burl to complete the handle,a dense, resinous hardwood prized for its complex grain and aromatic qualities. Milan’slived experience, paired with an eye for subtle detail and a commitment to performance, informs the quiet confidence of this gyuto.