This sgian dubh is made from real heather stems grown and harvested in Scotland. The stems are cleaned, dyed, and compressed under 60 tons of pressure. This forms the stems into a block which is then shaped and polished into this beautiful knife handle. This sgian dubh comes in a handmade leather sheath, and the blade is made of pewter. It measures at 6 and 7/8 inches long. The blade takes an edge, and this is a top quality sgian dubh. Made in Scotland.
The SGIAN DUBH (pronounced skee-an-doo) is the ornamental knife traditionally worn in the top of the sock by the highlander. The sgian dubh is normally worn on the same side as your dominant hand. The name in Gaelic - the word sgian means knife or dagger and dubh means black, referring to the color of the handle which was made from black hardwood. Various spellings of the word are recorded in different books, including skean, skian, and skein. The word dubh can also be spelled dhu.
The traditional evening wear sgian dubh has a pattern and a Cairngorm stone decorating the top. Other styles have been made using simple wooden or horn handles. These are normally regarded as day wear and date back to the beginning of the last century.
