This Sgian-Dubh has a sharp blade of 420 stainless steel. The grip is carved and polished wood studded with brass pins and finished with a brass bolster and pommel cap. The sheath is of thick, stitched brown leather with an integrated belt loop. This is a practical fighting form of the Sgian-Dubh – a practical self-defense knife and not the highly elaborate form of the later Sgian Dubh typical of modern Highland Dress.
The small Sgian-Dubh knife was a very personal item for the Highlander, for it rarely, if ever, left his person – for it was wise to always be armed. The Sgian-Dubh dagger was typically concealed in hidden pockets near the armpits of the Highlanders coat, shirt or stocking. When he entered the home of another it was customary to leave large weapons at the entrances and to reveal hidden weapons. The Sgian-Dubh would then be visibly placed in the garters of his stocking, which is now part of the traditional Highland Dress.
