Here we have a 12 inch roe deer antler dagger. It uses an entire Eurasian roe deer antler shed as the handle. The blade is hand-knapped by me using gray agate with tons of geometric shapes speckled throughout it. Hanging from the hilt is a bit of black deer leather lacing, a few black obsidian beads, a single black European starling feather and a real European lynx claw. The claw is painted in glossy black enamel, dotted with silver and wired to the hilt with sterling silver wire.

I have been learning to carve antler and bone and this is some of my first public work along those lines: engraved on the antler is a lynx paw print and a Celtic single spiral which represents the radiation of ethereal energy. The paw print is a shallow engraving while the spiral is engraved deeply to show the creamy white ‘ivory’ of the antler. Both carvings are accented with glossy black enamel to make them pop and match them to the lynx claw. The blade is bound into the shaped hilt with deer sinew. The antler has been given a light hand-painted natural stain to enhance color and a matte sealer to finish.

The dagger included the notched red deer antler stand that allows it to be displayed exactly as shown here. It balances nicely on its own tine tip.

Entirely handmade by me. The antler is a fresh shed from Lithuania, collected in Jan 2014. The lynx claw was among several collected from a naturally deceased wild specimen.

Additional photos at link below:

http://raintulgey.tumblr.com/post/8.....oe-deer-antler

All wildlife laws apply.

SOLD***