Royal Bali Keris for comments

[David]

Originally Posted by Pusaka

Yes those keris are of a higher standard, particularly the one with large diamonds set in the handle (must be worth an absolute fortune)

I think the difference in the quality is that mine was simply cast whilst the other examples were cast and then hand chased with tools to bring out the detail.

My keris handle shows signs that some of the gems were picked out and replaced at some point. I think the original owner probably removed the more expensive gems and replaced them with less expensive ones before passing it on.

Actually, it's really not a matter of expensive gems, it a matter of the metal work itself that leads me to believe that yours is not the hilt of a "rajas" keris. In Bali the overall effect is more important than the worth of individual stones and it is not uncommon to find glass "stones" on royal hilts along side real ones if the fit the intended overall appearance.