What type of sgian Dubh is worn in the Highlands?

[Jacques]

The one on the left I wore as a youngster, the one in the centre during my twenties, and the one on the right I wear now. The latter is made of a cow's rib bone, brass and file steel and sees almost daily use. I think the one on the left was a great-uncle's before me.

ThistleDown

The more i look at your photo the more curious i become. Are you able to date the sgian dubh you had as a youngster. Also, do you recall who, where or when your present knife was made?

Thanks much

Jacques

[ThistleDown]

Jacques, I can't tell you much more about the one on the left, except that it bears an engraved 'swan swimming' on its blade and is mounted with a cairngorm (certified). The silver sheath tip is missing and that was prior to it being given to me. If anyone can tell me more about the swan I would be very grateful. It was a gift from my father seventy or so years ago, and I was told it was his uncle's. That's all I can recall about it, but I wore it until I was perhaps fifteen or sixteen, when it was replaced by a throw-away (that I didn't, and still have). The centre one was also a gift and I wore it through most of the sixties, seventies and eighties.

The one on the right is my design and crafting. It was made as a proto-type, based on one my friend James Scarlett wore. His was an old blade fitted to a ewe rib he found at Milton-of-Moy and polished. He wore it without a sheath and it was a simple, crude, usable knife.

The one here is from a selected stirk rib. The brass was carved into the bone and the whole polished as you see it. The sheath is leather, hide-glued to a wood core, interior carved to conform to the blade, and then fitted with brass. The blade is old file steel and full-shank through the drilled bone. In this case, the blade has not been polished. The idea was for the knife to be in keeping with crofting life and use, but to upgrade it somewhat for 20C use. It is a fully usable tool: this one has been used for everything from paring hooves to cutting twine, from gralloching to filleting.

This 'prototype' eventually became three presentation pieces: three are in Scotland, one in Australia, and one in Canada. Plus this one, of course. There is another, scrimshawed with a stalking cat, that I understand, is set aside for the future.