Agree with Francantolin. Surmene is a Turkish town located in the Trabzon province , east of Trabzon proper, and is right smack in the center of Lazistan.
Whether Lazes are ethnically Muslim Georgians ( Georgian version), distinct sub-ethnicity of Turks ( Turkish version) or a separate ethnicity altogether is immaterial. Similarly, whether the technique of niello was transmitted from Lazes to Georgians or vice versa, or was brought to both by Greeks is currently impossible to figure out.
At the end of the day geography is the defining factor: Lazes and South Western Georgians lived next to each other by centuries, the borders were practically nonexistent and changed multiple times. Thus, it is not surprising that they shared decorative techniques.
It is a very pretty and old Surmene knife made for a well-off person.
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