From our examinations
What is put before us, and how we decide
Every knife we enter in the A.I.P.C.L. register is examined. Sometimes it is clear in five minutes, sometimes it takes weeks and we ask the forge itself. This page tells such cases.
The cases are anonymous: no name, no seller, no photograph of the knife. What remains is what matters: the detail, the examination, the decision. The accounts are written in German.
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Case 05 under examination 10/2026
IG marking or A.I.P.C.L. certificate: what does each one tell you?
Since the IG engraving appeared on the first blades, this question has reached us almost daily. The short answer: one speaks about a place, the other about a single knife - and nobody has to choose between them.
The IG says where a knife was made. The A.I.P.C.L. certificate says which knife it is and who owns it. Two proofs that complement each other.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Background 09/2026
My collections: every knife has a story
Why you can now write down where your knives came from, what they mean to you and which ones belong together. And why this reaches far beyond Laguiole.
New on aipcl.com: write the story of your knives, put together collections and decide for yourself what the world gets to see.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Case 04 under examination 09/2026
Suspect a fake? What you can do now
Your rights as a buyer, sensible first steps and how our examination works when you want certainty.
Having doubts about the Laguiole you bought? Your rights as a buyer, sensible first steps and how our examination works, with a full refund if the result is negative.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Background 09/2026
Thiers and Laguiole: the two capitals of the French knife
Why the A.I.P.C.L. certificate of authenticity covers both origins, and why the Laguiole knife would no longer exist today without Thiers.
For decades the Laguiole was made in Thiers, and the knowledge for its revival came from Thiers. Why our certificate covers both origins.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Background 08/2026
Why do so many workshops take part in the A.I.P.C.L. concept?
Makers who normally compete for the same customers pull together here. The reason lies in a name that belongs to no one.
Laguiole is not a protected designation. Any knife in the world may carry the name. Why more and more French workshops are joining us.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Background 08/2026
The GI "Couteau de Laguiole": protected origin from the Aubrac
What the Indication Géographique really regulates, which forges may carry it today and why it and the A.I.P.C.L. certificate complement each other.
Since October 2024 the name "Couteau de Laguiole" is protected. What that means, who may carry the stamp, and where our certificate takes over.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Background 08/2026
What does Laguiole Made in France mean?
The name alone says nothing about the origin. What we base it on anyway, and why in the end it is not us alone who decide.
The name Laguiole belongs to nobody. Between goods from the Far East and genuine French craftsmanship lie three grey areas. What we demand.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Background 08/2026
The strongest proof a Laguiole made in France can have
Why your knife's number is worth more than any sheet of paper
A Laguiole outlives its first owner. The question of its origin does too. That is why every knife here carries a number from day one.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Case 03 not certified 08/2026
A cutlery nobody knows
On the disappearance of small workshops, and who has to provide the proof
The blade carried a mark we had never seen. It could be a workshop that closed long ago. Proving that is up to the owner, not us.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Case 02 not certified 07/2026
Bought in Thiers, made elsewhere
Why the place of purchase in France says nothing about the origin
A customer bought his knife in a shop in the Thiers region and was certain he owned a French piece. We could not certify it and refunded the ten euros.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Case 01 certified 06/2026
A logo that did not fit the picture
Bought on eBay, checked with the cutlery, registered in the end
The knife looked good, only the maker's logo differed slightly. We asked. The cutlery confirmed it, and the knife is in the register today.
by Justin Jernoiu
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Does your Laguiole not have an A.I.P.C.L. certificate of authenticity yet?
You can have it registered afterwards, no matter where you bought the knife. We check from your photographs whether it really comes from a French forge, assign it to that forge and register it under its own number. Your knife then has the same page and the same document as any knife bought from us.
The examination costs 10.00 euros. If the result is negative, we refund it.
or 15 CARMOS points from original-laguiole.de - what those are is explained there.