Jade handled Kukri

I would be interested of other examples of that sort of grip guard if anyone knows of them. Thanks Rod
 
I think N2S has an antler handled one with a guard on his website, Rod.
But its a more s shaped design I seem to remember.

Spiral
 
50663519thcenturyEuropeankhukuri1.jpg


n2s
 
After having a few of this type I realized that they are earlier than I had first assumed as being from the last decade of the 19th century. The blades are machined and come in different styles, but have the same profile. The grips also vary from the nice solid jade that Rod has now and others (including polished wood, silver and ebony) and all seem to be from around 1860. This example has the typical MOP, horn and red appliqued brass chevron design of other Indian daggers. Very nicely detailed scabbards and the guard is very well made and of a unique S design.
jade.jpg
 
Don't care for the guard though. If jade is fibrous would it cause something similar to asbestosis if allowed to get into the lungs of those working it?
 
J.P. wote:

The blades are machined and the grips vary from the nice solid jade that Rod has now and other variations (including polished wood, silver and ebony) and all seem to be from around 1860.

John,

Are you suggesting that these blade may have been contracted from Europe? When did India and Nepal first acquire the capacity to make machined blades?

n2s
 
N2, not from Europe as India's steel/machine industries had a healthy start by then and later supplied much of Asia. The factories were built on English business/manufacturing models as expected. I doubt Nepal had any similar industry till after WW II but I have no research to back this up.

Rod, here are two very obvious refitted kukris with very plain crossguards. The Victorian stag handled piece is more expected than the Indian "officer's" model.
guards.jpg
 
John,

The lower one lools like the "baby M-43" I mentioned -- less the guard, of course. If you would be so kind, how long is it and what is the thickness of the blade?

Tom
 
Both of those pieces have a very Teutonic look about them. Maybe a misplaced hun during the late 19th. century. ;)
 
Sutcliffe said:
If jade is fibrous would it cause something similar to asbestosis if allowed to get into the lungs of those working it?
Click to expand...
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/dust.htm
"Lapidary workers have to be very careful of dusts they produce, particularly in production situations.
There are clear cases of Jade workers getting silicosis in as little as 5 - 10 years. "

Unclear if the two types of real jade are equally hazardous........

http://www.jadesite.com/physical.html
"Pure Jade is pure white. All variations are due to the presence of several metals in the crystalline structure. .........
There are two types of Jade: It consists of two separate silicate mineral species, ........
Nephrite: Found in modest Quantities around China in ancient times. ........ Also known as "Old Jade" to Chinese collectors............
Jadeite: Known as "New Jade"...............
The toughness of Jade is its defining mineralogical physical property. "

http://www.islandnet.com/~vlms/shoptips.html
"Jade: Lapidaries and jewelers should constantly attempt to call gemstones and rough material by their correct name. Jade has many other stones named after it, as any material. The confusion as to what jade is, has been compounded by this deceptive practice.

Amazon jade is adventurine..
American jade is a rock - a mixture of idocrase and grossular.
Australian jade is chrysophrase.
Colorado jade is green microcline.
Flukien, Manchurian, and Honan jade are all soapstone.
Indian jade is adventurine.
Jadite is pure jade. (editor's note ? - not sure what he means)
Jasper jade is green jasper.
Korean jade is bowenite, a hard variety of serpentine. (Mexican jade is green dyed marble or calcite.
Oregon jade is a dark green jasper.
Silver Peak jade is malachite.
Transvall jade is a massive variety of green grossular garnet.
Real jade such as BC jade, Alaska or Yukon jade are truly nephrite jade:
Nephrite Hardness 6-61/2 S.G. 2.95 R.I. 1.6 -1.63
Jadeite Hardness 61/2-7 S.G. 3.3 R.I. 1.66 - 1.68"

http://www.ganoksin.com/server-cgi-.../ganoksin/borisat/searchftr.htm&QUERY=jadeite
http://www.ganoksin.com/server-cgi-...ganoksin/borisat/searchftr.htm&QUERY=nephrite
Bunch of articles.


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Guess it can all depends on definition of machinary. ;) {what machines? using what power source?}

But the Sheffield cutlers were making there cutlery by hand still in 1860.

Although the sheffield steell mills started there industrial revolution in 1856.

Bernard Levine could probably give you difinative dates for English machinary use in the Sheffield cutlery trade. {He has forum on Bladeforums.}

I am under the immpresion these kuks were built for export to europe from India for the then buergening intrest in anything oriental.{china,rugs,art, sculpture etc. But as always. I am open to correction. ;)

The cutlers who made them made many different knives & kuk of various styles as mentioned by JP, most are mop inlayed jade.

Thats the only pure jade one , I have yet seen to date. ;) :D

Nice find Rod.

Spiral
 
I believe Spiral may be quite correct as the 'Orientalist' movement was under full throttle in both paintings and decoration in Europe at that time (1860).
 
The further supporting evidence that points to this is the large variety of knife types that feature the MOP inlay as per the example JP has showed us , it points to a cotage industry in Northern India circa 1845-1860 producing these items for the European market of the day. However I believe most of the blades would have been hand made. Some of the various dagger types with the same MOP inlay are of very poor construction though.Rod
 
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