Hello everyone, this is my first post.
Thought I'd share with you a picture of my old Rencong.
This is a family heirloom which was given to me by my late grandfather. According to him this rencong was forged during the early 1950's by a famous Rencong maker back in the day.
As I'm sure many of you here know, there are various types of Rencong in Aceh, each with its own distinctive characteristics. This particular piece belongs to the Meucunggek class, reserved for royalties, nobilities and other distinguished groups of people. My grandfather was a highly decorated provincial chief of Police in Aceh and thus was awarded this Rencong as a symbol of gratitude by the Aceh people.
It's hilt and scabbard are made of ivory, while the blade itself is made from a material known locally as 'besi putih' or white iron/steel (correct me if I'm wrong) said to have supernatural properties
. The hilt is decorated with about 10 grams of 20 carat gold which adds to the overall value of this finely crafted work of art.
As rencong forging is dying art, you're unlikely to find many rencong of this caliber nowadays.
Hope I'm off to a good start.