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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
...a keris made with a plain black gonjo is cheaper to make than a keris made with a pamor gonjo.
the maker says to the customer that it will cost X quintals of beras more if he has a pamor gonjo rather than an iron gonjo.
customer says stick your pamor gonjo in a place where the sun don't shine; plain black gonjo is good enough for me.
over time plain black gonjo becomes the norm; simply a stylistic variation.
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I would think that stylistic variation would depend somewhat on the style of higher quality court keris. Would this extra cost really be a factor there? Why was it not a factor with Javanese keris?
Perhaps the "hide the pamor" game was not a factor at all in Bali, but why would those with money and power be cutting corners on keris making? This does not make sense to me.