I was thinking of something quite ornate, something that would become an heirloom...

To tell you the truth, I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen many, uh, "fancy" scales: most are just wood (or ivory or whatever). I would think that it would be viewed as too fruity and not macho but there seems to be some intricate design work going into blades' spines.

I was thinking of something with hickory leaves (barbecue!) or malt and hops (beer!) or just malt (whisky!). These images give an idea of what I'm talking about, just from some woodcarvers who live locally:

http://www.spanglefish.com/MichaelHe...ellishment.JPG

http://www.freeindex.co.uk/media/pro...76/Jul0211.JPG


Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.