Damascus Kukri with Camel Bone and Turquoise Handle

This is the forward curving Nepali knife built as a display piece that still cuts. The blade is 11 inches of Damascus with 16 inches overall, a brass bolster at the joint, and a camel bone handle with a band of crushed turquoise around the middle. Damascus on a kukri is a modern piece rather than a traditional one, and we say so plainly. It goes to buyers who want the raindrop pattern along that curve.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark layers show as raindrops along the flat and the bevel is polished bright. At 11 inches the blade leaves the handle narrow, sweeps forward and down and widens towards the tip, so the heaviest steel sits furthest from your hand and it chops above its size. The cho at the base of the edge stops a cut running back into the handle. The core is carbon, so it darkens with use and rusts if it is left wet.

The handle

The handle is polished camel bone, creamy white with fine natural veining. A band of crushed turquoise is inlaid into a channel cut around the middle, sanded flush and polished with the bone. The butt is flared so the knife stays put on a hard swing and a brass cap closes it. The tang is hidden, running through the length of the bone rather than showing along the sides.

The karda and the chakmak

Two small knives ride in pockets on the back of the scabbard, each about four inches long, with camel bone handles and a small turquoise band to match. The karda is the sharp one, for fine work the big blade is too heavy for. The chakmak is blunt, used to true up a rolled edge and traditionally struck to raise a spark. Serious Nepali makers name both and include both. Ours come with the knife.

The leather

The scabbard is water buffalo leather formed over a wooden core, with a brass cap at the tip, a leather belt frog and hand stitching down the seam. The face carries carved acanthus scrollwork inside a rope border, cut and shaded in damp leather rather than printed, so the scrolls stand up under your thumb.

Who it suits

This is a piece people buy to look at as much as to use.

• Collectors who want Damascus in a large blade
• Buyers who like bone and stone over wood
• Anyone giving a serious gift
• People who already own a plain kukri

What comes in the box

• The Damascus kukri
• The tooled water buffalo leather scabbard
• The karda and the chakmak
• A care card

Every piece is different

Each blade is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small. The Damascus pattern never repeats and the turquoise band sets differently every time, so yours will not match the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina that builds is normal and it protects the steel. Sharpen with a stone or a file following the existing bevel, working the belly of the curve. Oil it before storage and let the leather dry away from heat. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade or a handle. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Is Damascus traditional on a kukri? No, it is a modern piece rather than a traditional one.

What is the turquoise on the handle? It is crushed turquoise inlaid in a band around the middle of the bone.

What is the notch at the base of the edge? That is the cho, and it stops a cut running back into the handle.

What are the two small knives for? The karda is a small sharp knife for fine work and the chakmak is blunt, used to true up an edge.

Will this steel rust? It can, because the core is carbon, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.

How sharp is it out of the box? It is sharpened by hand and ready to cut on arrival.

For the same steel with wood, see the Damascus kukri with a rosewood handle, and for the same bone in a small size the mini kukri with a camel bone handle. More sit in kukri knives, in Damascus steel, and in gifts for him.