Sweet little dagger
 

Hi guys i picked this lovely little dagger up the other day and thaught i would post some pics for comment.It was sold to me as a middle -eastern Indo-Persian ladies sleave dagger.Its a lovely little knife with mother of pearl and ebony inlay[unfortunately 4 pieces of mother of pearl are missing but i will replace them no problem ;) ] with nice stone end pieces[the seller sugested they were mutton fat jade] and a elegantly shaped full tang blade.I love it :)

that is nice. Thanks; I kind of like these. They are usually attributed as for the Western market, which I actually have no input on; They are a version of pesh kabz/karud/salwar yatagan, but AFAIK from India....or Pakistan?... The sheath looks new?

Mutton fat jade - clear off-white to yellowish, usually nephrite jade.

Is it the little....blobs in the stone that define it as mutton-fat figure? That's just a guess, but I can see a resemblance.......too much about the jade? These are usually bigger, I think; how long is yours? Oh, there's a ruler in the pics; yeah; about the size I was remembering it; a 12" to 15" blade seems more typical or more what I've seen, but the little one is nice.

Hi Smasharoo:

We've talked about these a few times on the old Forum. Artzi Yarom has firmly identified them as late 19th or early 20th C. Indian manufacture, continuing up to and perhaps after WWI, and made for the European tourist trade. Late 19th C. Europe had a fascination for things Indan, and these were produced for that market. They seem to be fairly common and come in various sizes and shapes, most of them resemblling the style you show.

The scabbard is a later replacement.

As you say, they are well made and interesting knives.

Ian.