Sword knot or sword strap, occasionally called a tassel is a lanyard, generally of leather but might be of woven gold or silver bullion or oftenly metallic lace, looped around the hand to avoid the sword being lost if it is dropped. Even if they have a practical function, sword knots often had an ornamental design. For example, the British Army usually adopted a white leather strap with a large acorn knot made out of gold wire for infantry officers at the end of the 19th century; such acorn forms of tassels were said to be 'boxed', which was the way of securing the fringe of the tassel along its bottom line such that the strands could not divide and become entangled or lost. Many sword knots were also made of silk with a fine, decorative alloy gold or silver metal wire woven into it in a particular style.