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Jean-Jacques BERNET

Stazzona Di Rustinu

Knife making - Forge

Visits : Every day except during fairs and shows.

Regions : Centru di Corsica

Categories : Craftsmen

Strette
20235 Castello di Rostigno
  06.99.03.26.83
  bernetjj@gmail.com

Knife making started out as a pastime for auto mechanic Jean-Jacques Bernet, though his passion for the craft goes back as far as he can remember. He started producing knives in 1999, learning as he went, meeting other enthusiasts and reading whatever he could find on the subject. A true self-taught artisan, Jean-Jacques decided – “sort of by accident” – to start making knives professionally in 2009.

Since then, the hammer and the anvil have barely stopped clanging in A Stazzona di Rustinu – Bernet’s workshop on the outskirts of the village of Bisinchi.

“You have to be producing all the time in order to maintain visibility among the enthusiasts and connoisseurs. ‘Keep pedalling or the bike will fall over’ – that might as well be my motto!” he confesses. His favorite part of the job is talking to visitors; at fairs, conventions and markets (sometimes international), he speaks with passion, explaining and demonstrating his artisanal expertise. “I realised that my knives were travelling all over the world – I wanted to do the same!” he jokes. By his own admission, Bernet is not a born salesman (“I don’t have that silver tongue,” he laughs), but for this expert craftsman the important qualities of the job lie elsewhere: knowledge of the craft, love at first sight, listening to others. All in a day’s work!