Bejeweled Katar
Full Description:
The hilt of this exquisite katar has been inlaid with floral designs in gold zarneshan work, a rarely used technique that leaves the gold in relief to be further engraved and hatched. In this instance it bears a repeating pattern of chrysanthemums, each growing amid undulating stems, their centers set with rubies and emeralds.
Four fullers have been precisely worked into the blade, their dividing ridges set with more stones before traveling down the blade and converging to help reinforce the long tip. The steel has been polished while the fullers’ valleys have been left to show those desirable currents of wootz. The cusped arch connection of the blade and handle suggests that this katar originated in the Deccan around the 17th century where the same design was used in architecture.