Darfia Copper Alloy question

[Battara]

SE Asia has had a long history of alloys. Silver and copper, brass (zinc and copper), bronze (tin and copper), white metal (nickel and copper), and as Kronckew says, swassa (roughly gold and copper). These goes back centuries.

[Gavin Nugent]

Thanks guys,

I deliberately left Suassa out of my initial comments knowing it is found on some of my Sumatran pieces and has the typical gold/copper hue... this piece pre dates them by about 150 years, is from Another region and has a copper/ silver hue.
Do the Dhafia purists refer to this sheath covering as Suassa? By another name?? Or is the term for this alloy unknown?

Gav

[Battara]

Suassa has gold involved. If it is a silver/copper alloy it is not suassa.

[Gavin Nugent]

Interesting note, reading a previous thread on the ole Thai swords, it was noted in one posting that copper was one of the mediums worn by people of rank. Any further ideas on what rank a person had to be to display this material in such a manner?

Any takers on the copper silver alloy naming or other usage.

Gav

[Nathaniel]

Originally Posted by freebooter

Interesting note, reading a previous thread on the ole Thai swords, it was noted in one posting that copper was one of the mediums worn by people of rank. Any further ideas on what rank a person had to be to display this material in such a manner?

Any takers on the copper silver alloy naming or other usage.

Gav

Interesting Gav, can you cite the thread regarding the copper & rank?

I do not doubt it. I've seen with some Thai swords a copper, brass or gold disk/ or small tsuba.

[Nathaniel]

Electrum = Naturally occurring silver & gold alloy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrum

List of Alloys
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alloys

There are different hues of gold...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_gold

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by Nathaniel

Electrum = Naturally occurring silver & gold alloy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrum

List of Alloys
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alloys

There are different hues of gold...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_gold

Thanks Nathaniel,

Following your links further I came to this one;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billon_(alloy)

It explains a mixture of both materials and its ancient roots.

Thanks

Gav