Daggers and Diamonds: Because Size Matters

Ryan from @dragonsnestforge here again! Want your next knife project to stand out, to really shine, and maybe give it that extra sparkle?

Awesome, that’s what gemstones are MADE FOR. And nothing easier! You just gotta …

pick a size (not too big, not too small),
the shape needs to fit of course, and…
so must the type of gemstone, oh, and…
let’s not forget about matching the color with the rest of the handle, and yes, …
where to put them.

🙏 WAIT, WAIT, COME BACK!! 😆

Let’s take it one step at a time?

For starters, let’s concentrate on how to choose THE RIGHT SIZE gemstone for your piece!

If you are going through the trouble of adding a gemstone to your project, you want to know that it will look good and that it adds to the piece—instead of looking like an afterthought!

So you don’t want to go so big that the stone is the only thing you see, upstaging your hard work, and you don’t want to go so small that your gemstone goes unnoticed.

I’m gonna share a useful trick, the TEN FOOT RULE I learned:

Look at your piece from about ten ft. away. You want the gemstone to be EASILY SEEN from this distance—without it being the ONLY thing your eyes want to focus on.

Easy mistakes to avoid:

1️⃣  The gemstone is so large that it renders the item unusable due to bulk or weight. For example, you don’t want to put a 200 ct. citrine on a puukko.

2️⃣  You also shouldn’t put a 1 mm topaz on the pommel of a Templar sword as the main accent piece. It needs to match the space well.

3️⃣  Another thing to consider when choosing the size of the gemstone is cost. Obviously, the larger the gemstone the more expensive it is.

In my experience, gemstones start drastically increasing in price around 6 mm or so in size. So keep that in mind when designing your build! 

All this being said, there are plenty of times these guidelines won’t hold true and plenty of exceptions might be made depending on budget, customer, etc.

The important thing is to make something you are proud of!!

Have YOU seen (or made) knives where gemstones have been used? How did the stone add to the knife?

Want to know more about Ryan? Read Gems & Knives: Talking with Ryan from @dragonsnestforge.