Here is a very nice take on my Mercator pattern, a knife style I've made for combat, search and rescue, law enforcement, and for collectors. This is definitely collector's grade. The blade is long and nicely tapered in profile with a sharply angled tanto design, fully hollow ground, razor-keen with a single bevel edge, and in mirror finished 440C high chromium martensitic stainless tool steel, it's the most corrosion resistant you can get. This blade should hold its beautiful appearance indefinitely with minimal care. The knife has a good, long top spine swage for minimal cross sectional geometry, and a useful thumb rise for control. The tang is fully tapered for weight balance, and the balance point is exactly at the forefinger. The top of the spine has a clean "arrowhead" filework, and the inside handle has my modified "royale" design filework. The knife is bolstered with my favorite 304 stainless steel bolsters, a high nickel, high chromium austenitic stainless steel that is zero-care. The bolsters are hand-engraved, and I designed a nice pattern based on a seaweed-like cluster of fronds to compliment the handle. The bolsters are dovetailed, polished throughout, and the rear bolster has a 1/4" diameter through-tang lanyard hole. The bolsters and tang bed a pair of striking green Nephrite Jade gemstone handle scales. Deposited by an ancient glacier in northern California, this naturally colored, intensely green specimen is the toughest (most resistant to breakage) gemstone I use. I arranged a book-matched pair that has a light underbelly in the inside handle area, and the stone has fascinating areas of clarity, whites, greens, and even blacks. I've included a close-up macro photograph below to inspect this gem, and a person could spend hours with the handle under a microscope discovering this geological treasure. It's no wonder jade has been the precious stone sought through the ages and by nearly every culture. I polished the jade to a high luster, and the handle is smooth and comfortable in the hand.
The Mercator deserved one of my inlaid sheaths, so I designed one that would showcase the handle and front bolster. The sheath has a high back, framing the green handle in the sheath mouth, with an angled front and a circular window displaying the front bolster. I chose Black Stingray Skin for the inlays, and a nice teardrop or paisley design motif. Did you know that this is a very ancient design, and originated with early man's representation of the dolphin? The sheath front has 10 inlays, the back 8, including inlays in the belt loop which echoes the "V" and circle cutout of the sheath front. I reinforced the unusual cutout areas by stitching the entire sheath with nylon thread, which is very tough with a bit of flexibility. The sheath is made from 9-10 oz. thick leather shoulder, dyed to a medium brown color, and is lacquered and sealed.
