Since my name has been mentioned several times, I would like to way in a little.
It is always a difficult issue to restore a piece or not. Some recreation is involved, although what I do is based on research on the tribal art patterns, other tribal pieces, the time period of development, etc.
I guess a bigger question is how much restoration? I figure that radical restoration that either involves replacing half the original work could be called reconstruction, or if it means swapping/cobbling pieces together then it could be called a monstrosity. I would not apply this to newly made pieces.
This particular piece in question seems to be on the borderline, especially since this involves the soul of the piece - the blade. It would require more than just replacing lost inlay.
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