Handmade obsidian knives, arrowheads and jewelry by flintknapper JJ Heo, whose work is available at Granville Island in Vancouver, Canada and through www.jjstonecraft.com. Often called volcanic glass, it is hard and brittle, and is one of the sharpest objects on earth, cutting 5 times sharper than steel. Obsidian was originally used by cavemen during the Stone Age to create hunting tools, and is s
till used today for skinning knives and surgical scalpels. All knives are handmade using a chipping technique called flintknapping. Flintknapping is the process of reducing and shaping large pieces of stone into a blade, by breaking off thin flakes one by one. It is a survival skill that was used by our ancestors nearly 2 million years ago. The obsidian knives by JJ are not only art pieces or tools, but a wonderful reminder of the survival skills inherited from our ancestors. JJ Stone Craft tours annual art and craft shows around North America, and has a regular booth at Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver, Canada. (See posts for updated schedules)
