Berti Black-Handled Italian Kitchen Knives

Whether you’re not ready to invest in a 30-piece knife set or you want to boost your burgeoning blade collection, this build-your-own knife collection lets you pick the exact ones you need, piece by piece. The knives are by Berti—one of the most highly regarded knife brands in Europe—and have been handmade in Italy since 1895. To this day, one knifemaker creates each knife from start to finish (look for the artist’s initials on the blade!). Each blade is hand-forged for an extremely sharp edge and, with proper care, will last for generations.

To protect and display your knives, Berti has designed ingenious individual knife blocks that magnetize to one another, so you can create your own collection with only the knives you need. We love the versatility, and how much room it saves on our countertops (you can even slip the individual blocks into your drawers). A black pictogram of the knife, and its name in italian, is printed on the front of each block, so you’ll never again reach for a handle without knowing which blade you’re unsheathing. Berti calls this system Insieme, or “together” in Italian.