Well, while I was on a roll with the knapped steel knife, I got a wild hair to make a miniature stone bladed knife. I had a few chips of lovely chalcedony I collected from what I call “The Nevada Death March.” This came from an old mining site about 60 miles east of Battle Mountain, Nevada. Not a soul in site, on the top of a small mountain, and the only place in the world I’ve ever been (and that’s saying a lot!) where there wasn’t a light in sight in any direction. And I could see for about 30-40 miles in any direction.
I decided to base the design on a stone age sculpture I’ve always liked, from the Lepenski Vir site in Serbia. She is often called the “Fish Goddess,” but she strikes me more as a Sheela na gig from the UK or Ireland.
Here’s my take on a knife design, with the naughty bits left off. I chose to use fossil mammoth ivory for the handle.
And above is the design of the petroglyphs on the front and back sides. These are based (loosely!) on petroglyph styles from the painted caves of France, the American Southwest, and Australian aboriginal rock paintings.
And, above are the final results, with an elk antler and walnut presentation box. The blade is held in with charcoal and pitch (an ancient stone age recipe), and artificial sinew wrappings. I went with artificial sinew, rather than actual sinew, because the tiny dust mites in the house will render real sinew into dust in just a few years.
Available soon at BladeGallery.com
Thanks for Looking!