The Real Sgian Dubh Co. hand-crafts beautiful, limited edition sgian dubhs in natural materials of buffalo horn, wood, silver and steel.
Natural materials and genuine craftsmanship mean that each sgian dubh is unique; a real alternative to mass produced and soul-less plastic.
Don’t wear plastic tat. Have some pride and wear a real sgian dubh!
A sgian dubh that’s uncluttered, honest, real and (we think) very beautiful.
What makes them so special
Crafted with care
Made by skilled craftsmen in the Himalayas.
Hallmarked in Edinburgh
A real alternative
We live in a world of identikit mass-production. Sadly, the sgian dubh, a traditional Scottish knife and symbol of Scotland’s pride and fighting spirit is now often no more than a lump of moulded plastic with a blade that you can bend with your teeth.
We offer an alternative; a handmade sgian dubh that’s made with pride and attention to detail by skilled craftsmen. Our designs are intentionally simple and elegant allowing the beauty of our natural materials and the skills of our craftsmen to shine through. Our traditional sgian dubhs are not just beautiful but are also functional. They come with a choice of stainless steel or Damascus steel blades and all our dubhs are properly sharp.
We ship worldwide
Praise for our Sgian Dubhs
The making of a real sgian dubh
Our horn sgian dubhs are made from the horn of the domesticated Asian buffalo. We search out horns that have slight milky streaks to add interest to our knives and then air-dry them for over a year before using them. Like a fingerprint, no two horns are the same so that each sgian dubh is absolutely unique in its final appearance.
Each sgian dubh has four Sterling silver bands. Our craftsmen make each one individually by hand from sheet silver. The celtic knotwork patterns are cut with a hand file and then joined to a plain silver backplate, which is blackened to make the knotwork designs stand out. Then, the four bands are then shaped on a tiny anvil before we finally fit them to the sgian dubh. All the silver in our sgian dubhs is Sterling quality, hallmarked in Edinburgh by the Assay Office of Scotland.
Our philosophy is simple; we want to make real and genuine sgian dubhs that will bring enjoyment to our customers and their succeeding generations. We pay our craftsmen significantly above the market price for their labour and we pay them in advance or very promptly. £5 from the sale of each sgian dubh goes to support health and development work in Nepal.
