High Art Daggers, Museum Swords, Fine Swords, Handmade Swords and Daggers by Jay Fisher

If you're interested in the price of an authentic, well made, real custom dagger, please read the section "What do your knives cost?" on my frequently asked questions page.

No one knows when the first dagger was made, perhaps a large spear point from prehistoric times was adapted for use in the hand. Some of the earliest daggers are made of solid bone, which negates the definition that daggers come only from sword tips that have broken off in battle. Prehistoric man also fashioned daggers from stone. The origins of our word are Celtic: dag, a point. The dagger is probably the most recognizable of all the edged weapons, and it is universally recognized as a stabbing or thrusting weapon and less often a tool. Though daggers may have been at times used for hunting, survival, and rescue, they are more often recognized as an ultimate stabbing tool. This might seem a bit blunt for those of you with softened sensitivities, but a double-edged thrusting blade inspires trepidation, and commands immediate attention from all those who see those graceful double grinds, particularly when executed in a piece of mirror finished high chromium stainless tool steel, hardened and tempered, tastefully mounted with full guard, brilliant gemstone handle, and matching intricate pommel. Add a fine sheath or sculptural stand, for a stunning display. Truly, today's fine dagger is an investment in a work of art.

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"Conquistador" Fine Art Dagger: twist carbon damascus steel blade, antiqued blued steel guard, silver and peidersite gemstone handle, engraved leather and silver sheath

Featured: "Conquistador"

Here's a knife I made many moons ago... Conquistador is a fine art dagger. The theme can be best described by a poem I wrote that accompanies the knife on an engraved black lacquered brass plaque:

	Panting horses bear the strain
	Of leather and steel in endless-chain.
	Blazing sun in unfriendly land
	Sears the temper by royal command.
	Warriors march in reverence
	Of holy faith and providence.

Conquistador has a blade made from low and high carbon steel, pattern welded damascus, hollow ground, etched, and highlight blued. I made the crossguard from mild steel, antiqued to match the finish of the damascus blade. The handle is a breathtaking stormy piece of polished Peidersite Agate gemstone from Africa, wrapped in sterling silver royal cross gallery wire. The accompanying sheath is made of engraved (yes, engraved) leather shoulder, with engraved silver plate fittings and decorative screws. The knife and sheath rest on a gemstone stand, sculpted from polished Indian green moss agate (pillars), lapped and polished Brazilian agate (base) and Peidersite agate and silver accents. A gorgeous piece reminiscent of time past, in theme and in my own career of knife making.

Here are some additional thumbnail pictures showing the knife and stunning handle close-up. Click on the pictures for enlargements.

It's not easy to make consistent fine daggers. Four symmetrical edges must come to their zenith at once, the spine not neglected, the balance just right. I try to make my daggers elegant, graceful, and imposing. They are owned by collectors, connoisseurs, and tactical specialists for their value, beauty, and fine workmanship. To match four independent grinds at once on one piece of steel is a challenge, and I don't use jigs to grind. You might hear that making a dagger is like making two knives, back to back. This is misleading, because all the grinds in a dagger must match as closely as possible, and be centered along the blade spine. The dagger must be thick enough in the ricasso area of the grind to support the blade length. The handle must also be symmetrical, as most daggers are designed with symmetry and central line balance. The handle must not be too large, as removal of so much blade material in four hollow grinds usually leads to a lightweight blade. All my grinding is offhand, and you can read more about that on the blades page here. Most of these are high chromium stainless tool steel, and mirror finished. Some have decorative milling, and all have commensurate and suitable sheaths or stands. The bolsters or guards and pommels are hand-ground and fitted, balanced and detailed.

Classic Dagger, 440C stainless steel blade, 304 stainless steel bolsters, blue tigereye gemstone handle, red rayskin inlaid in hand-carved leather sheath

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The "Classic" is a large, substantial, solid dagger. I've hollow ground the double edged blade, leaving a solid spine a full 5" up the center of the blade for great strength. The blade has a fully tapered tang, full filework, even in the choils and finger grooves. The double quillion protects the hand from the edges, and the meaty handle belly and fishtail rear bolsters lock the hand to the gemstone. The super-tough and beautiful bolsters are made of 304 high nickel, high chromium stainless steel, for ultimate wear and longevity, corrosion free. The front bolster pair are sculpted and polshed to echo the lines of the dagger. The handle is rare blue tigereye (Falcon-eye), not really blue, but with darker components than regular tigereye, more rich deep golden brown and less yellow. There are also fine red strands of jasper running throughout, with a few traces of hematite. Tiger eye exhibits chatoyancy, the "cat's eye" effect of light play from different angles, shown in the photos below. A dagger this notable must have a sheath to match, so I've taken the ambitious effort of inlaying 40 pieces of dark red rayskin in the sheath body! The sheath is inlaid front and back, and the belt loop is a dual loop, with decorative hand stitching with polyester sinew. I've designed the sheath to "picture frame" the gemstone handle when the knife is nested. The sheath is lacquered and sealed, the edges polished and finished. This is a remarkable piece of fine artwork, original and unique. Truly one of a kind.

If you're interested in the price of an authentic, well made, real custom dagger, please read the section "What do your knives cost?" on my frequently asked questions page.

It's not unusual for me to sink several hundred hours into a dagger. I'll spread out the work with dozens of other knives, and it may take six months or more to complete a fine dag. It all depends on the amount of work, size, material, and embellishment that goes into the dagger. You can read more about that on my FAQ page here. Often, such elaborate work begs for fine detailing and I'll embellish with etching or hand engraving. I even make military and rescue daggers, with mechanisms like locking hookblades gemstone handles, and full engraving. Though most gemstone handled daggers are not for daily use, some special cases are.

The dagger is a knife that has to be held with care, and is often unsuitable for daily chores. If you have to bear down on the blade, your hand would need to apply pressure at the top of the spine, and in a dagger, another cutting edge is already there. Also, if you need to cut open something, you might find that the back cutting edge slices where you don't want it to. When the dagger is used for piercing, you must be ready for the blade to travel either direction, and though it seems a simple thing, you might be surprised at how accustomed we've become to knives that cut in only one direction. Being covered in cutting edges, the dagger is somewhat more dangerous than a single bladed knife, mainly dangerous to the person holding it.

Another concern is that being a dagger, and being small, the hollow grind is usually shallow to preserve spine thickness, so you wont' get the longevity of repeated sharpenings of a dagger that you would of, say, a wide single edged blade with a 10" hollow grind. As the dagger is sharpened (and it will be sharpened if it's used in daily carry), the metal will be worked away, and it won't be long before it's thick in the grind. I talk about this on my blades page. Most people who have daggers use them lightly, or they are for display or fine collections only.

Another concern is a legal one. Most locations in the US prohibit carrying daggers in public areas. I know this is foolish, as a large kitchen knife with an 8" blade could do as much or more harm, but some authorities can get pretty picky about this. I've heard of beautiful knives "confiscated" by over zealous authorities, never to be seen again! They're probably in their own collections now...

The final concern might be investment value. A beautiful gemstone handled dagger is a good, serious investment, but the value of the investment must be preserved. If the knife is used daily, repeatedly sharpened, scratched and dinged, the value of the knife diminishes, sometimes a lot, depending on condition. A collector can not reasonably expect an increase in value if a knife has been used enough to deface or show serious signs of wear.

"Troll Magnum" fine hollow ground dagger with gemstone handle, exotic scabbard

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"Troll Magnum" mirror finished hollow ground, fully fileworked 440C high chromium stainless tool steel blade, sculpted 304 stainless steel dovetailed bolsters, crazy lace agate gemstone handle, red rayskin inlaid in hand-tooled leather sheath. This is a fine, weighty, solid dagger made from .250" thick stock. The shape is elegant, the handle locks in the hand. The sheath is finely made and offset, contrasting the symmetry of the knife, while the inlays reflect the shape and point.

Daggers Defined

There seems to be some confusion as to what officially constitutes a dagger. On one "official" site, I've even read that a dagger is defined as a pointed weapon used for stabbing that has no cutting edges! I don't know what world history these guys are looking at for their definitions, but it's not ours! A dagger is strictly defined as a short weapon used for stabbing. This says nothing about the cutting edges. The word dagger is only the general definition, other specific types of daggers by historical definition are: poniard, stiletto, Bowie knife, dirk, misericord, and anlance.

If you're interested in the price of an authentic, well made, real custom dagger, please read the section "What do your knives cost?" on my frequently asked questions page.

Please let me know if I can make a fine dagger, athane (athame), double-edged custom knife for you!