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Originally Posted by Manolo
Woohoo concensus!! 
Looks like I learned something after two years on this forum 
I've seen a number of new keris on ebay with high numbers of luks, often advertised as being from kalimantan/Borneo. Are numerous luks desirable these days or is it still just for tourist appeal? Odd for a ground blade to come with an ivory (or bone?) dress.
There are some light artefacts on the pictures, it would indeed be good to see close-ups.
Emanuel |
G'day mateys,
- I agree with the previous comments.
- There are those who believe that in custom-made kerises, the number of Eluks reflect the quality/status of the wearer/owner. The higher the number of Eluks, the better.
Having said this, I hasten to add that kerises with more than 13 Eluks are relatively uncommon.
When examining kerises with more than 13 Eluks, I tend to proceed with caution.
When examining kerises with MORE than 29 Eluks, I proceed with EXTRA caution.
- These days, it isn't hard to find total dresses for kerises made of bone, ivory or indeed fossil molar (the raw materials being all legally traded).
- Have you tested for bone/ivory using the 'hot needle' test?
- 'Where there is a perceived market, there WILL be a product'.
- Please correct me if I'm wrong but, as I understand it, keris-making, especially in places like Brunei, enjoy the patronage of the state. In fact, I believe that the patronage may be of such a level that what is unsold commercially is bought by the state, ensuring a steady livelihood for the keris-makers (and hence the preservation of the art). Thus there is incentive for these keris-makers to be creative and enterprising.
- As for the Dapur, it resembles the straight keris dapurs: Dungkul, Regol or Sepang (hard to tell from the picture).
Cheers.