If one would be made for you how would it be?

[David]

Originally Posted by Michel

Well David and Alan,
I understand your point of view, but do not share it.
You remind us :the question is what keris would you create from scratch. This can never be your dream keris because , barring a miracle, it can never be yours. I would like to believe that someday ALL our dreams might come true. So if you had a copy of it made is there not one thing you would change to somehow fit your own persona?
In dreams "miracle occures"!
Should I think of modifying the beautiful kris I have shown ? I think that before I could make a valid description of what should be done to this kris, I would have to study all the elements of the keris (blade, grip, sheath, etc) and be fully embedded in the kris culture and this would take the better part of 25 years of study. Some of you guys are, may be, at that level of knowledge and understanding of the kris culture ( Alan ?) but I am very far from it.
But there I have a piece I can look at, its virtual in a sense, but it does not require that I draw it, forge it, file it, etc. I can just look at it and admire the workmanship of the artist(s) who made it. I do not think one can cumulate the most beautifull parts of several krisses to make one perfect assembled kriss. It would not be balanced.
So please let me dream of my beautiful keris !
Michel

Forgive me Michel, i am not trying to take away your "dream keris". I am merely pointing out that that was not the point of this particular exercise. So what you are saying then is that if you could have a keris made from scratch that it would look exactly like this one right down to the same dhapur, pamor and dress? That's OK of course. But what about details that you possibly don't know about this pre-existing masterpiece? What kind of pamor material would you use? Meteorite? Where would you source the iron from? An intensive knowledge of keris culture isn't really necessary for this exercise because the keris could be made to suit your own needs and culture. Alan, for instance, who obviously has a better understanding of keris culture than most, is putting forth a dhapur, pamor and dress that is both culturally and environmentally based on things Australian.
Michel, when the keris you have posted was made for it's original owner choices of pamor and dhapur were made based on the status, needs and personality of that original owner. I believe what Jussi was trying to establish was how we would go about making those choices for ourselves and possibly why. It's not really a matter of accumulating the most beautiful parts of all the best keris we have seen. It's about what you feel would be appropriate for you.