Lord of Battles – Damascus and Koftgari Inlay Indian Dagger with Bone Grip

This elegantly constructed Indian dagger has a blade of damascus steel – the patterning akin to rippled water on the damascus blade was created when the smith forged two different steels into a single blade. A floral sigil of silver is inlaid into the blade on a single side.

The guard, pommel and central grip ridge are of blackened steel highlighted with intricate designs of silver which was created with the traditional koftgari technique. This decorative art is created by hammering thin silver wire into a hand-etched design. It is made permanent by annealing the koftgari parts in the oven to fuse steel and silver into one.

The grip was created by skillfully carving and placing interlocking plates of polished bone. To finish the dagger the blade and hilt were fitted together and the interior of the grip was filled with a hardened gum resin to hold the tang in place within the grip. This is the traditional method for fitting a blade tang to the grip and it has the benefit of leaving no interior gaps to eliminate interior movement or rattling. The gum resin also imparts a degree of shock absorption to the dagger because it has a small degree of give.

The dagger scabbard is of steel and is likewise elegantly adorned with koftgari silver design. The interior of the scabbard is lined with velvet. The craftsmanship needed to create this intricate dagger is undoubtedly quite laborious – but it has created a dagger that is in itself an incarnation of the traditional bladesmithing and finishing techniques of India.