A stone handled Pesh Kabz

A. G. Maisey · 16th August 2010, 12:57 AM

Serpentine can go as high as 5.5 mohs, which is not all that far behind jade,but a sharp blade will still mark it.

A sharp blade will never mark jade, it just slides across the surface and leaves a deposit of steel, which looks like a very faint pencil mark.

Battara · 16th August 2010, 01:51 AM

Alan is right. Jade (jadite and nephrite) are very hard stones, therefore difficult to carve, and will not be scratched by steel.

Ferguson · 16th August 2010, 02:10 AM

Even though it's not jade, I'm extremely happy with the knife. Though I can scratch the stone (with a very sharp, very hard S30V blade) it is pretty hard. It has survived all these years with no breakage, and is just a gorgeous material. I was very fortunate. The seller was asking $100, and I got it for much less.

My Scottish genes are dancing with joy.

Steve

From Wikipedia (not always accurate) "Bowenite is an especially hard serpentine (5.5) of a light to dark apple green colour, often mottled with cloudy white patches and darker veining. It is the serpentine most frequently encountered in carving and jewellery."

From http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/serpentine.htm
"H. typically 2½ -4, but up to 5½ for some varieties, such as bowenite"

Atlantia · 17th August 2010, 06:42 PM

Its a beautiful fine quality knife.
And what an informative thread it's spawned!
Serpentine is still good

16th August 2010, 02:10 AM	#3
Ferguson Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kernersville, NC, USA Posts: 793	Even though it's not jade, I'm extremely happy with the knife. Though I can scratch the stone (with a very sharp, very hard S30V blade) it is pretty hard. It has survived all these years with no breakage, and is just a gorgeous material. I was very fortunate. The seller was asking $100, and I got it for much less. My Scottish genes are dancing with joy. Steve From Wikipedia (not always accurate) "Bowenite is an especially hard serpentine (5.5) of a light to dark apple green colour, often mottled with cloudy white patches and darker veining. It is the serpentine most frequently encountered in carving and jewellery." From http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/serpentine.htm "H. typically 2½ -4, but up to 5½ for some varieties, such as bowenite" Last edited by Ferguson; 16th August 2010 at 02:22 AM.

16th August 2010, 12:57 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,989	Serpentine can go as high as 5.5 mohs, which is not all that far behind jade,but a sharp blade will still mark it. A sharp blade will never mark jade, it just slides across the surface and leaves a deposit of steel, which looks like a very faint pencil mark.

16th August 2010, 01:51 AM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	Alan is right. Jade (jadite and nephrite) are very hard stones, therefore difficult to carve, and will not be scratched by steel.

17th August 2010, 06:42 PM	#4
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	Its a beautiful fine quality knife. And what an informative thread it's spawned! Serpentine is still good