Klungkung, for about 20 years I used to sell keris at Arms Fairs. I used to enjoy this a lot. A two meter table with a dark green cloth cover, a couple of racks of keris together with other sharp pointy things scattered over the table, including knives and blades I'd made myself using spring steel, 01, and damascus.
Because of the fragrant oil that we put on keris blades there was always a nice fragrance around my table, and that fragrance would attract women. While the husbands were off oohing and aahing over AK47's and similar entrancing objects of desire, their wives and girlfriends would surround my table.
I loved those arms fairs.
A couple of women from those days have developed into very perceptive and discerning collectors of the keris. Regrettably, none have become students of the keris, but from a purely collector philosophy these women are as good and often better than any of the male collectors I know.
In understanding the physical form of the keris a fine attention to detail is required. Many women seem to possess this faculty to a higher degree than the majority of men.
There is nothing "worse" about being a lady aficionado of the keris.
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