Indian Knife with Wootz Blade

Stan S. · 27th November 2011, 03:26 PM

Very nice dagger most likely from the South of India. The repair you are referring to looks more like a seam between two steel billets connected to make this blade. It could also be a forging flaw but I tend to think it is teh first rather than teh second. The hilt is painted in red and green as far as i can see. Is it white or faint blue underneath the paint? If so, it is not a true jade but rather either a nephrite or aventurine. There wasn't much true (green) jade produced in India but these minerals are closely related and were often used as a substitute and referred to as "jade". Hope this helps.

templarnight · 27th November 2011, 03:33 PM

Hi. Many thanks for your help and Im pleased to hear your views on the so called 'repair'.
The Stone Handle is White with a very hint of light Green. The Paint is Red, Green and Gold.
What kind of date do you think this is?

Jens Nordlunde · 27th November 2011, 04:30 PM

Try to take the dagger to a jeweller, as they can measure the hardness of the hilt, maybe he can tell you what it is.

Stan S. · 27th November 2011, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Try to take the dagger to a jeweller, as they can measure the hardness of the hilt, maybe he can tell you what it is.

Excellent point! A jeweler will be able to tell you with certainty what material the hilt is made of. Keep in mind that both minerals I suggested are also considered to be semi-precious stone, and are traditionally used to make jewelry.

As for the age of this dagger, I would guess late 19th century but it could very well be older or newer.

27th November 2011, 03:26 PM	#1
Stan S. Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Brooklyn, NY USA Posts: 227	Very nice dagger most likely from the South of India. The repair you are referring to looks more like a seam between two steel billets connected to make this blade. It could also be a forging flaw but I tend to think it is teh first rather than teh second. The hilt is painted in red and green as far as i can see. Is it white or faint blue underneath the paint? If so, it is not a true jade but rather either a nephrite or aventurine. There wasn't much true (green) jade produced in India but these minerals are closely related and were often used as a substitute and referred to as "jade". Hope this helps.

27th November 2011, 03:33 PM	#2
templarnight Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 87	Hi. Many thanks for your help and Im pleased to hear your views on the so called 'repair'. The Stone Handle is White with a very hint of light Green. The Paint is Red, Green and Gold. What kind of date do you think this is?

27th November 2011, 04:30 PM	#3
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Try to take the dagger to a jeweller, as they can measure the hardness of the hilt, maybe he can tell you what it is.