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Old 2nd January 2017, 08:37 PM   #3
David
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Cal, this is a Bali keris and therefore Indonesian and discussion belongs in the Keris Forum for this so i am transferring it over there.
I see pamor fairly clearly. However, this blade seems like it is a bit overdue for a cleaning and a re-staining with warangan. What you must understand about keris is that pamor patterns are raised on the surface of a keris through acid washing and treating with warangan, a mixture of arsenic and lime juice. The pamor on this Bali keris is merely faded over time and it needs a new treatment.
You should also keep in mind that not all Indonesian keris carry pamor. These keris are referred to as "kelengan".
BTW, this looks like a fairly decent Bali keris that has been dressed with a very low quality hilt usually associated with souvenir pieces. I would also think that this might very well be a late 19th century blade, though early 20th century is also possible. But it does not look like contemporary work to me.
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