Fake vs genuine...

[A. G. Maisey]

Richard, the finish on a blade is only one of a number of indicators that is able to tell us something about that blade.

It is true that most Balinese blades that have come from Bali, rather than Lombok, do have a smooth finish to the surface, this is because the Balinese have traditionally polished their blades to clean them, rather than to use a fruit acid bath.

But this is only part of the answer, Balinese blades that have come from Lombok often have a surface finish similar to a Javanese blade, additionally, many Balinese blades, especially older ones are actually from Jawa in the first place.

Then we have the Balinese blades that have not been regularly maintained and have needed to be cleaned and stained before being sold. I am uncertain of the situation in Bali right at this moment, but as of 2 or 3 years ago, dealers in Bali were sending keris that needed to be cleaned and stained, to East Jawa for this to be done.

To complicate matters even more, if we encounter a Javanese blade that left Jawa a couple of hundred years ago, or even one that has been maintained by acid brushing, rather than acid soaking, the surface finish will be as smooth as any Balinese blade.

The typical surface finish on a Javanese blade that has been maintained in Jawa is a surface with topographic relief --- the brightly contrasting pamor standing above the dark iron --- and a dimpled surface to the iron. This same finish is often created on recent Javanese blades, not as any attempt at forgery, but because in general, the Javanese prefer this finish on a blade.

There is a common misconception that all Balinese blades are big. Some are, some are not. I have Balinese blades that are not as big as a normal Javanese blade.

You refer to "modern fake".

This is another common misconception.

In Indonesia keris that have been made since the revival of the art in the mid-1970's have been made for the local market, not as fakes, but as an essential part of traditional dress, as an expression of art, and as a necessary part of the culture.

Certainly, there has always been a small production of souvenir type keris, and this was true even before the revival. The souvenirs seem to have always been there.

The only true fakes are keris which have been processed by salesmen and presented as something that they are not, and in my experience, these true fakes more often use an old keris as the basis for forgery, than a newly made keris, and the forgery is directed at people in the local market in Indonesia who are prepared to pay very much more for keris than buyers in the western world. Generally speaking, buyers in the western world are very hesitant to spend serious money on keris, this is not the case in Indonesia.

If you can let us have a couple of photos of your keris, we may be able to tell you a little more about it.