RussellM
23rd August 2008, 09:00
I've read and heard stories from quite a few collectors about how they shake an HJ knife to see and hear if the diamond rattles or moves. If it doesn't move, they put it back down and move on, thinking the knife to be a reproduction. It is quite possible that people who do this could well be turning down a legitimate piece, because there is no rattle or movement. Some diamonds are very loose and rattle around, some have small movement, maybe from side to side or end to end, and others may have no movement at all. Whether there is movement or not usually depends on how well the diamond has been fixed to the grip plate, and also whether or not the cutout on the plate which receives the diamond is a close and snug fit. Sometimes the work is sloppy in these areas, other times very well done.
I x-rayed a couple of knives which show how HJ diamonds are fixed. The diamond has two long prongs which go through a hole in the plate, and are bent under to hold it in place. The first one shown here is poorly fitted, which you can easily see, causing the diamond to be very loose, springy when pushed and rattley (see how it protrudes slightly from the top of the grip plate, and is not seated on the bottom of the cutout). This one is from a later manufactured RZM marked knife.
The second x-ray shows another diamond that has no noticeable movement at all. The cutout is snug, preventing the diamond any sideways or end to end movement. The diamond sits well on the bottom of the plate and the pins are bent well around the plate allowing no spring-like movement when pushed, but this is a genuine HJ knife, early manufacture with motto.
If I come across an HJ knife with a no-movement diamond, I just look more closely at everything else. A diamond that doesn't move should not be taken as a sole determining factor when checking for authenticity, but as an indicator to scrutinise all the other details of the knife carefully. Check for signs of glue, damage to the rivets or on the plates immediately around the rivets. If these and all other details appear correct for an original, you may avoid passing up a genuine knife.
Regards
Russ
I x-rayed a couple of knives which show how HJ diamonds are fixed. The diamond has two long prongs which go through a hole in the plate, and are bent under to hold it in place. The first one shown here is poorly fitted, which you can easily see, causing the diamond to be very loose, springy when pushed and rattley (see how it protrudes slightly from the top of the grip plate, and is not seated on the bottom of the cutout). This one is from a later manufactured RZM marked knife.
The second x-ray shows another diamond that has no noticeable movement at all. The cutout is snug, preventing the diamond any sideways or end to end movement. The diamond sits well on the bottom of the plate and the pins are bent well around the plate allowing no spring-like movement when pushed, but this is a genuine HJ knife, early manufacture with motto.
If I come across an HJ knife with a no-movement diamond, I just look more closely at everything else. A diamond that doesn't move should not be taken as a sole determining factor when checking for authenticity, but as an indicator to scrutinise all the other details of the knife carefully. Check for signs of glue, damage to the rivets or on the plates immediately around the rivets. If these and all other details appear correct for an original, you may avoid passing up a genuine knife.
Regards
Russ