I feel that both these keris --- the ebay and Artzi's one --- are Lombok origin. Certainly Bali style, but Lombok origin.
As to quality, Artzi's does seem marginally better quality, and marginally better condition, however, both keris are extremely desirable simply because of the extreme rareity of old Balinese keris of any quality, whether Bali origin or Lombok origin.
The "rubies" are pastes, probably clear glass with a red foil underlay. The give-away is the one on the right shoulder as the image faces you; look closely, it is flat topped with a little dimple:- glass. Hilt probably dates from 1920's - 1930's, both blades probably second half 19th century.
I feel that the buyer will probably return the ebay one to the seller when he finds that he has bought glass, not natural stones --- if they were natural stones the price paid would have been very, very low. Check out the value of natural cab rubies some time.
Actually natural red stones in Indonesian settings are a real trap. The dealers use the same word for rubies, red tourmalines and garnets:- mirah. You need some gemological training to tell the difference, particularly if you're buying on your feet in a badly lit market.
|