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The highest form of true art is duplicating nature. God is the ultimate artist, and we express our best efforts in art that copies His work. Whether it is in the form of painting, sculpture, photography, or any other art form, nature provides the only inspiration worth the effort. Natural handle materials, therefore, are the epitome of beauty. Nothing man-made can equal the beauty of natural materials. I saw a special on the newest gem-quality man-made diamonds. They are chemically identical to a natural diamond, but at a fraction of the cost. But, why are they special? They aren’t! A diamond is precious because of its rarity and the time it took to create. Even as we get better at duplicating natural materials like ivory or stag, we may get to the point where it is impossible to distinguish the difference between the real stuff and the fake. Even so, the natural stuff is infinitely more precious. Think about it… Even something as simple as a wood handle is unique in all the world. There will never be another knife handle with that exact pattern from that exact tree. Ever. That is what makes them special. Now for the good news... Because of modern stabilization techniques, we are able to make natural handle materials stronger and more resistant to weather and temperature than ever before. That means that we can use the best the most beautiful natural wood, bone and ivory without fearing that it will be too fragile to really enjoy.
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