#1603 Sultan Barong

Bill M · 14th January 2019, 12:21 PM

Spunjer and his fabulous flock of barongs has motivated me to dig into our barongs. This morning is my best barong. Old ivory and a gold ferrule.

It is my understanding that the Muslim men are to eschew gold, that it makes men weak. The ferrule of this barong is gold.

One of my "experts" told me that this much gold is likely belonged to an important ruler who felt he was beyond the Sharia Law.

I have not researched this at all, but i use it to call this blade "Sultan Barong". I open the floor to opinions, both to the artifact and possibly the idea of Muslim men and wearing gold.

Women can wear gold and silk. but not the men. Possibly this Barong could have been made for a woman, but seems unlikely to me. I have had it for years and has never shown any tarnish.

https://www.speakingtree.in/allslide...d-to-wear-gold

Overall length 23 inches - 58cm
Blade length 15 inches - 38 cm

Maurice · 14th January 2019, 12:51 PM

Lovely barong.

drac2k · 14th January 2019, 03:10 PM

Beautiful! To me, the most impressive feature is the wonderful and delicate carving of the handle; stunning!

Battara · 14th January 2019, 11:41 PM

Another possibility is that the gold is not pure gold but heavily alloyed with silver in this case. This is not unheard of at all and in principle would be in the same category as swassa, thus abiding by the "no gold" rule.

Bill M · 15th January 2019, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

Another possibility is that the gold is not pure gold but heavily alloyed with silver in this case. This is not unheard of at all and in principle would be in the same category as swassa, thus abiding by the "no gold" rule.

It could be. How can I tell? Can it be assayed without damage? I know nothing about how that is done.

If it was "heavily alloyed with silver" would it tarnish in some way? I have not polished it since I got it several years ago. Does swassa tarnish?

I may reach out to a previous owner who is quite knowledgeable and ask his opinion. Will let you know.

Good question! Thanks.

Battara · 15th January 2019, 08:12 PM

Good questions. It looks like it alloyed with silver to me, but if it is still 14k, then it will tarnish some.........in 100 years or so.

Same with swassa, if 9k it will tarnish faster than 14k.

I am thinking yours is gold alloyed with silver instead of copper in 14k (I have a similar barong sleeve with the same mix of gold and silver and no tarnishing).

A jeweler can test to be sure (I've done that before without damage).

14th January 2019, 12:21 PM	#1
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	#1603 Sultan Barong Spunjer and his fabulous flock of barongs has motivated me to dig into our barongs. This morning is my best barong. Old ivory and a gold ferrule. It is my understanding that the Muslim men are to eschew gold, that it makes men weak. The ferrule of this barong is gold. One of my "experts" told me that this much gold is likely belonged to an important ruler who felt he was beyond the Sharia Law. I have not researched this at all, but i use it to call this blade "Sultan Barong". I open the floor to opinions, both to the artifact and possibly the idea of Muslim men and wearing gold. Women can wear gold and silk. but not the men. Possibly this Barong could have been made for a woman, but seems unlikely to me. I have had it for years and has never shown any tarnish. https://www.speakingtree.in/allslide...d-to-wear-gold Overall length 23 inches - 58cm Blade length 15 inches - 38 cm Attached Images

14th January 2019, 12:51 PM	#2
Maurice Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,324	Lovely barong.

14th January 2019, 03:10 PM	#3
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,174	Beautiful! To me, the most impressive feature is the wonderful and delicate carving of the handle; stunning!

14th January 2019, 11:41 PM	#4
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,139	Another possibility is that the gold is not pure gold but heavily alloyed with silver in this case. This is not unheard of at all and in principle would be in the same category as swassa, thus abiding by the "no gold" rule.

15th January 2019, 08:12 PM	#6
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,139	Good questions. It looks like it alloyed with silver to me, but if it is still 14k, then it will tarnish some.........in 100 years or so. Same with swassa, if 9k it will tarnish faster than 14k. I am thinking yours is gold alloyed with silver instead of copper in 14k (I have a similar barong sleeve with the same mix of gold and silver and no tarnishing). A jeweler can test to be sure (I've done that before without damage).