Hello Nik,
Please also keep in mind that standards of quality can change between regions. There are already differences between Bugis blades from southern Sulawesi and Bugis-influenced keris from the Malay peninsula. Traditional Jawa tastes are very different.
Let me explain why I am, personally, not so fond of the keris blade shown in post #17:
Disclaimer. This is a keris with miring pamor which is much, much more difficult to forge than most other pamor (and much more costly since more material is lost in the process). Thus, we're speaking of high level skill not needed for more common keris!
1. The kurissi pamor is not well controlled: If you follow the twistcore from the base (very broad, distorted) to the tip (distorted in another way), there is no real consistency, no real motif exhibited in the final result (for both lines of twistcore).
2. There is a massive cold shut between the two rows of twistcore (from the base pretty much into the distal third of the blade); apparently the pande was working at his limits here.
3. Just as disconcerting is that this (non-)joint is not following the middle of the blade (ada ada) and the luk (also seen on the other side of the blade).
4. IMHO the garap of the blade and flow of lines don't look refined. Compare with the other blade shown in the last pic of post #16: The blade on the left looks fair while the last luk of this keris seems to almost fall off...
5. I'm also not a fan of the greneng at the base of the blade and, especially, the pejetan... (Maybe the gonjo got replaced or the greneng restored but still there seems to be finesse missing here.)
Please do correct me if I'm wrong with any of the raised concerns! Andi and Yasir, I apologize for being frank - just trying to help you, Nik...
I am interested in the extensive cold shut - I've never seen this with antique Bugis blades from western collections. Continued TLC and "washing" in tropical climates may play a role here. However, a cold shut can also be detected without heavy corrosion/etching. I've seen quite a lot of karmadikan blades with similar forging flaws which got turned into features by the sellers. Any insights into how this connects with traditional Bugis culture despite the rarity of old blades with these "features" would be very much appreciated!
Regards,
Kai
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