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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
This is an old blade and with smooth edges such as it has, it is certain to have had those edges cleaned up. This is a very usual procedure that is applied to a blade with badly frayed edges. It is regarded as an improvement to the blade and helps to prevent further erosion.
The rather low angle of the blade may have been original, but it is possible that it is also the result of a re-fit of the gonjo, or even the fit of a different gonjo. Old blades often develop a wide gap between blade base and gonjo, if this is allowed to remain it will contribute to blade erosion. There are a number of ways to correct the situation, and sometimes the rectification of the gap leads to an alteration in blade angle.
Adhesives such as Araldite are often applied to the joint between blade and gonjo for the same reason:- to preserve the blade and help prevent erosion.
With a very old blade, it is a very unrealistic expectation that everything about that blade will remain as it was when it was made. Keris from the 17th.-18th century are already old, and if they have remained in their area of origin they are likely to have had the blade edges cleaned up, the gonjo re-aligned or replaced, and most certainly have had many changes of wrongko and jejeran. If we find an old keris, with old dress, that old dress is simply that :- old, and the concept of "old" might mean that it was made in the 1950's. It is amusing to many experienced collectors and students of the keris that "old" dress is often so highly valued, especially amongst collectors in the western world.
Similarly with gonjos. It is a very unrealistic expectation that a keris which was made 500 or more years ago should still have its original gonjo. The gonjo is attached mechanically. Gonjos do come loose, all by themselves, with no help from anybody. The material on the sides of a gonjo where the tang penetrates is very thin, and in an old gonjo it is often found to be severely eroded. Part of the maintenance of a keris blade is to replace, or if possible, re-fit the gonjo. This should not be seen as something that makes a keris undesirable. Sure, its nice if the gonjo is original, or at least looks original, but it is no big deal if it is not.
Sometimes a gonjo was intentionally removed from a keris, and was incorporated into the forging of a new keris, thus transferring some of the essence of the older keris to a new one, this was particularly the case with a keris of quality that was deemed to possess esoteric powers. A missing or replaced, or reset gonjo is no big deal. Yes, the fact that something has happened to the gonjo will be reflected in its value, but it does not make the keris something that should not be valued.
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