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Joseph Opinel, born into a blacksmith family, and first produced his Opinel knives (against his father’s wishes) in the town of Saint Jean de Maurienne in 1890. Later manufactured in the Savoy region, and in stark contrast to the Swiss Army knife which was created only a year later, Opinel sought to construct a knife that was simple, comfortable and convenient to use. Developing into a range of sizes, the knife was slowly adopted by the working class as a necessary tool for everyday life. In 1565, by royal decree, King Charles IX of France ordered that each master cutler to add his emblem to his products to guarantee their origin and quality. To follow this tradition, Joseph chose the Crowned Hand emblem in 1909. The blessing hand is that of Saint Jean-Baptiste appearing on the arms of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the town closest to Albiez-le-Vieux, home of the Opinel family. Joseph…