The grad in your life is officially embarking on their journey through adulthood. School may be over, but they certainly have a lot more to learn. It can be difficult to choose the right gift for this particular milestone, but nothing says “I think your future is bright” quite like a gift that will literally last lifetimes. Send them out into the world with a pep in their step and a gift they’ll love now and cherish always – a reminder that you’re proud of what they’ve done, excited to see who they’ll become and that you’ve always got their back.
By the way, “heirloom quality” doesn’t necessarily mean “costs a fortune.” It’s a term that instead refers to high-quality materials and thoughtful craftmanship. (Come to think of it, that’s another pretty good lesson for a grad to learn.) Check out our heirloom gift recommendations below – and then congratulate yourself on a gift well bought.
Jody HortonHeirloom Pocket Knives
Pocket knives aren’t just useful, they can be gorgeous; they can be deeply interesting; they can be passed down through the generations. Case knives check all the boxes: start your gift shopping journey with these picks, each a piece of art any grad would be happy to carry.
CourtesyMediterranean Blue Bone Smooth Small Texas Toothpick
Check out that natural bone inlay – obviously, bones aren’t blue, but Case’s blue color design soaks perfectly into the handle material. When combined with the blade’s mirror finish, it creates a magical combination. The long, locking Long Clip blade is simple but wildly versatile and designed for detail work.
CourtesyGenuine Stag Peanut
This two-blade knife is part of the Genuine Stag Family and is referred to as a “peanut” style after its deceptively small size. Despite a closed length of under three inches, its Clip and Pen blades offer generous utility thanks to their Tru-Sharp high-carbon stainless steel makeup, which results in a very strong, corrosion-resistant blade that maintains an edge extremely well.
CourtesySlimline Trapper
Boasting a rich and long history in traditional woodworking thanks to its incredible durability and beauty, black sycamore is a perfect choice for an heirloom knife handle. Housing a single, surgical steel Clip Blade with a precise point, the Slimline Trapper is a slender tool especially suited to finer work and would be a smart gift for a hunting enthusiast.
CourtesyAmber Bone Peach Seed Jig Tear Drop
Part of Case’s Amber Bone family, this Tear Drop knife is “a heavy-duty utility tool that effortlessly pieces and stabs.” Its symmetrical Spear blade ends in a fine point that is easily controlled and promises to hold an edge longer than typical steel. Best yet, this particular knife is made right in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
More Heirloom Gifts for Grads
As evidenced above, heirloom gifts aren’t always sacred objects you keep behind glass and laser grid security systems. Some are meant to be worn, others carried and others used each and every day.
CourtesyClub Campus
For uniquely beautiful, heirloom-quality timepieces that aren’t as stratospherically pricey as most folks’ go-tos, look to NOMOS. The Club Campus is literally meant to be given as a graduation gift, and it’s as impeccable as it is approachable. We’ve said of the Club Campus that “it’s nearly impossible not to be astonished at the value.” Its in-house, hand-wound movement is remarkable on its own, but when combined with a case that fits any wrist, a classic horological motif-inspired dial, and exquisite attention to detail, it’s impossible to deny.
CourtesyWesley Butcher Block Black Walnut
Jacob May’s end grain cutting boards are both extremely utilitarian and timelessly beautiful. Good thing, since they’re meant to last forever. May cuts and assembles individual pieces of wood by hand to create one-of-a-kind fractal patterns from the woodgrain. The end product is gentler on knife edges, doubles as a serving piece and, if properly cared for, will endure for generations.
CourtesyHven Bench
Schoolhouse is both a manufacturer and retailer of supremely well-crafted and earnest designs ranging from lighting fixtures to furniture and back again. Made of deceptively simple solid oak with gently rounded edges and legs, the Hven is a beautiful expression of Nordic design that’s built to withstand years of use.
Peter Limmer & SonsShop Limmer Boots
There aren’t many heirloom-tier hiking boots on the market, but Peter Limmer & Sons have been handmaking their signature products for decades upon decades. Notice the upper is fashioned from a single piece of flawless leather – really, there aren’t many parts to the boot at all. Every stitch is perfection, and for good reason: these are custom orders, and the shop turns out only about 150-175 pairs each year, and that means the waitlist is years long. But the grad in your life will still need boots in 2025…
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$2,022.00 (63% off)