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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 3055952, member: 2844&quot;]Thanks Rusko, that is much better, now I can see the keris itself.</p><p>So here it goes:</p><p><br /></p><p>The keris and sheath combo is a marriage. The sheath is West Madurese, as I said before, and it wasn&#039;t made for this keris.</p><p>A Madurese wavy keris always looks like it has a little trouble starting the waves (luk). From the base up it has a longer straight part than keris from other regions, and then it finally decides to start the waves.<img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/wink.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=";)" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>The keris (blade) is Javanese, probably from the North Coast of Java. The shape of the base of a North Coast keris usually looks like a near perfect triangle, especially compared to keris from other regions.</p><p>As I said before, the keris goes beyond village level. The carving of the details on the base is good and done with care. I always love it when a keris has a nice little &#039;elephant trunk&#039; on the base.</p><p><br /></p><p>The keris is related to Asian ceremonial daggers.</p><p>The purpose of most Javanese and Madurese kerises is to complement the owner&#039;s personality, enhance the good aspects, curtail the bad ones, and support the owner in developing his or her personality for the better. A keris was made specifically for the first owner, but that doesn&#039;t mean you can&#039;t own this keris.</p><p><br /></p><p>The pamor (damascene pattern) on your keris is called &#039;kulit semangka&#039;, watermelon skin. It is thought to promote social skills and facilitate an easy way to make a living. It is a pamor that has no restrictions, which means you are allowed to have it.<img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/smile.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=":)" unselectable="on" /></p><p>There are nine luk or waves, said to enhance the owner&#039;s ambition and help in a career. Nine is also towards the higher end of the luk scale, meaning there is likely to be a spiritual aspect to the owner&#039;s life.</p><p><br /></p><p>The hilt ring is indeed a Madurese angkup randu.</p><p>The hilt is of the usual nunggak semi or sprouting tree trunk type. The background of the nunggak semi has to do with royal succession:</p><p><br /></p><p>A very important period in Javanese history, and Southeast Asian history in general, was during the maritime empire of Majapahit, East Java. The House of Brawijaya of Majapahit ruled over much of SE Asia from 1293-ca 1500.</p><p>After the fall of the empire, two branches of the royal family remained. One was the House of Demak, on Java&#039;s North Coast, and the other the House of Cakraningrat of Madura (my ancestors).</p><p>But another powerful family, in Central Java, stole the Majapahit crown jewels and claimed the right of succession.</p><p>The House of Demak wasn&#039;t as strong as Central Java, but as a protest it illustrated it&#039;s legitimate rights through a new type keris hilt, the one with two masks. One mask symbolizes the House of Brawijaya of Majapahit, and the other the House of Demak. The name nunggak semi means sprouting tree trunk, a new sprout (Demak) to an old trunk (Majapahit).</p><p>The Central Javanese family became the most powerful in Indonesia, thanks to the support of the newly arrived Dutch East India Company. But Demak&#039;s small act of protest through a simple hilt spread to other parts of Java, and the Demak nunggak semi is the most popular keris hilt to this day, even in Central Java.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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