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Originally Posted by ariel
Harry,
Chooras are very much a " redneck" weapon, and I have never seen any gold on one of them. A slab of ivory for a hilt was the highest they aspired to. Brass, on the other hand, was rampant both in the 19 as well as 20 centuries. They used it widely both for certain parts as well as for decoration.
Dating chooras is difficult, don't kick yourself. There are very few inscribed ones, and we largely go by the condition of the example. I showed here two with worn out and beetle-eaten wooden scabbards with glued-on paper labels showing dates ( of collection?)around 1850. The veracity of dated labels was confirmed by a world-class professional in restoring/preserving old islamic manuscripts and their covers. That's likely the best we can do...... The only unquestionably old example I know is pictured by Egerton in his book, and this only because of the year the book was published.
I would also date yours to the mid-20 century the earliest, but strictly on the basis of its condition. Don't despair: they haven't changed one iota over almost 200 years. Enjoy!
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Thanks Ariel! No reason for despair here. This one exceeds my expectations. I did not think I would find one as nice as this, and that was within my budget. I'm going to catalog it as having brass inserts and mid 20th, or possibly a little older. I still don't understand the blade. It looks like it has been segmented into a series of panels, each with a different design, yet it is smooth. I don't have a clue how this was done.