In the meantime, the dirk continued to evolve. It became the equivalent of the American Bowie Knife, what today we would call a camp knife. Firearms made body armor obsolete so there was no longer any need for the heavy, sharply-tapered point. By 1700 a broader but thinner spear point, more suited for general-purpose cutting, became the norm. The single by-knife was reduced in size to around a four inch blade, and a matching two tined fork was incorporated into the sheath. Initially this eating knife and fork were mounted side-by-side in the sheath, with their handles just below the handle of the dirk. Later, however, the eating knife and fork were moved one above the other on the outside of the dirk sheath.

The form of the dirk also changed. The thinner blade allowed dirks to now be made from ground-down sword blades, which meant that for the first time the average dirk blade had one or more fullers, the grooves sometimes called "blood grooves." The ballocks lost their bulbous character and became gently tapered haunches. The handle lost its cylindrical form and became more curved and hand-filling. It was still deeply carved with knot work; but the large disk pommel cap was slowly reduced in size and began to be formed over the edges of the wooden pommel, better protecting its edge from damage.

The Highland clans had been broken at Culloden in 1746. All weapons had been forbidden to the Highlanders, and even the bagpipes were classed as a weapon of war. To be caught wearing a kilt or tartan in any form brought a harsh and automatic sentence. However, the English bowed to the obvious--the Scots were a tough, combative people and good fighters. The dirk, kilt and targe lived on in the Highland regiments which began to be formed in the English Army. One regiment which rapidly became famous was the Black Watch, which fought successfully in America during the French and Indian War of the 1750's.

In the American colonies, Scots (and dirks) were in plentiful supply. During the Revolutionary War, they fought in large numbers for both sides. By now the form of the dirk had stabilized. It had a single-edge, spear-point blade 10 « to 13 inches long and a knot work-carved handle, sometimes with decorative metal pins carefully placed in the interlacing of the carving. The thin brass disk on the pommel had developed into a full pommel cap, still circular in design; but since the targe was no longer used, it was now reduced to a proportion more in keeping with the size of the handle. To properly support the by-knife and fork, now mounted one above the other, the sheath was reinforced with a wooden lining.

In 1782 the English proscription against Highland weapons and dress was repealed. In the early 1800's, Sir Walter Scott's novels, such as Ivanhoe, romanticized the age of chivalry. Being a Scot himself, Sir Walter wrote a series of novels based on the Highlander, in which he contrasted the simple code of honor of the Highlander with the political deviousness of the Lowland Scot and the English. By the dawn of the Victorian Age, he and other less well-known writers transformed the poverty-stricken Highland Clansman into a romantic figure in the same way the dime novelist transformed the American cowboy into a hero. Even today, males of the British royal family often wear kilts while in Scotland at Holyrood Palace or Balmoral Castle.

It was during this period that the dirk became an item of jewelry. Beginning about 1800, the dirk began a transformation. The blade retained its traditional size and shape, but the hilt began to assume some totally impractical forms. Some looked like three balls stacked one upon the other, others took an extreme thistle shape, with the handle at the base of the pommel ridiculously small in diameter. Others retained more traditional and practical shapes. However, almost all began to be highly decorated. The bold knot work carving degenerated into a shallow basket weave pattern, with the emphasis now on the large metal pins at the corners of each panel. Pommels remained large and became highly decorated with engraving and/or three dimensional castings. Some were hollow to hold snuff; and many began to be mounted with agates or "cairn" stones, smoky quartz or citrines from the Cairn Mountains of Scotland. They were no longer made only by clan smiths in the Highlands, but by prominent cutlers in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and ultimately by famous names in England such as Wilkinson Sword.

As the Scottish revival grew, some of the ostentatious wealth that had Britons building replica 1400's castles in the Highlands and huge country manor houses in England began to be applied to the dirk. Most were mounted in coin or sterling silver, and some in gold. Handles were now carved from ebony or ivory; and although the carving had lost its vitality, it was still studded with gold or silver pins. Semi-precious stones, citrine or amethyst, were in the pommels of dirk, knife and fork. To show off the stones to better advantage, they began to be tilted outward. For those who could not afford real stones, fakes were made of colored glass or cut crystal backed by various colored metal foils. Toward the end of the romantic period, from 1890 until the First World War, some dirks had the entire handle formed from a single faceted citrine crystal; and the mounts and sheaths were solid silver. 

A businessman dressed in a kilt in Edinburgh today is wearing much the same suit of clothing that was worn in 1700. The dirk is still made and worn, along with the sgian dubh, or stocking knife. However, now it seems to be of two classes. One is sold in Scottish shops for prices ranging from $200-$800. The cheapest of these have handles and stones cast in plastic, and the mounts are pewter castings plated with nickel or gold. The better ones are rather plain, usually without by-knife or fork. The mounts are undecorated sheet sterling silver, and the handles are blackwood carved in non-traditional floral patterns by craftsmen in India. The pommel stones are often paste.

The other class of modern dirk is crafted by a custom maker. They are almost never seen in stores, even in Scotland. They offer a wide variety of styles, but even the cheapest is expensive. Depending on the complexity of the pattern, the layout and carving of the handle can take one to four days; and even the making, polishing and installation of the pins in the carving can take a day.

This is multiplied by the fact that there are usually four components: dirk, by- knife and fork, and a complex wood lined sheath. Frequently there are six components, when the sgian dubh and its sheath are added, which are often ordered "en suite" with the dirk. The entire set invariably becomes a family heirloom, and is rarely resold.

A great deal of work goes into shaping and engraving the mounts, whether of brass or sterling silver. If stones are desired, the costs go even higher. A faceted round citrine or amethyst 1 1/8 inch in diameter, about minimum for a dirk pommel, will run about 100 carats, and one of average size, about 1 3/8 inches, will weigh 130 carats. Depending on the quality, these stones will cost from 9 to 15 dollars per carat, and they are hard to find in these large round shapes.

Like the kilt, the dirk is unique in western culture. Although it comes in an infinite variety, it has always been instantly recognizable as a Scottish Dirk. It differs from other large sheath knives in that it has been in continuous use and wear since the early 1600's. After all, where else in western society is it considered high fashion to stroll into a formal dinner dance wearing a knife with a 13 inch blade?
This article originally appeared in The Highlander magazine