[Jim McDougall]

Thank you adding all of these extremely interesting applications of these markings as used my native armourers on the blades of numerous weapon forms! Very much appreciated everybody!!!

These eyelash/sickle markings have indeed been discussed many times through the years here, and of course on the trademarks thread in particular.
I have done personal research on markings for many years, and these have been most perplexing, primarily because they are so widely used and copied, far beyond the European medium in which they originated.

As I have explained in my post on the European Armoury, these dentated half circles appear to have originated in North Italian blade making centers, it would appear sometime in the 15th century. As used, they appear to have been intended as some sort of guild marking, as they often occur along with other markings, presumably assigned to certain makers, as well as sometimes incorporated into more complex groupings.

For many years collectors have presumed these sickle marks originated in Genoa, however I believe the primary reason for that association is that Genoa was one of the key ports exporting blades to other regions in those times. There were trade stations and colonies operated by Genoan merchants in the Black Sea, where these blades seem to have been received and dispersed. If the sickle markings were on blades per guild accordance they would have occurred on the products of various cities including Vienna, Lucca and so on.
When the blades gained reputation as quality products much sought after, the marks became attractive and used by other makers to add to the appeal of thier work. In times of great superstition and folklore these markings were to become appealing in far greater presumption than simple guild or quality stamps.
As these blades had now become popular in much wider range of centers and copied even in the huge blade making center of Solingen, the diffusion of blades carrying these markings became profuse.As they were received in many cultures in far regions, and the virtues of these blades extolled by merchants noting these distinct markings, the marks were again interpreted and copied by native armourers.

By this time, the application of these markings no longer of course carried the original purpose of guild accordance, nor affiliation with any particular maker, but had come to represent much more ethereally, either quality or power, or both, even to talismanic perspective.

With native applications of these markings, the importance of thier meaning was often perceived within decorative or artistic perspective, and while no longer distinctly observed, the implications remained even remained in the artistic variations used.

Much as it is virtually impossible to attribute blades of native makers to an individual or particular location, except in typically rare cases, it would be even more difficult to assign specific meaning or use with any certainty as they are in this medium more artistically employed.

In the Caucusus, these sickle marks are used mostly by Chechen makers in the blades they term locally the 'gurda', which means broadly 'good or of high quality'. This is probably one of the best illustrations of the interpretation of these markings from a native armourers perspective. This is very much the case I am sure in Afghanistan with the paluoar blades.

Best regards,
Jim