Sombro Or Jaka Sura?

[A. G. Maisey]

Karttikeya, its not as easy as just looking at something, and most certainly not as easy as looking at an image on a computer screen.

There are very many considerations when we try to ascertain if a particular feature, or form, is original to the blade. Sometimes this is as easy as using a jeweller's loupe and good light, but more often it is a matter of looking and touching the blade, and feeling the surface, and comparing various areas on the blade.

To make any supportable determination I need to actually hold something in my hand to be relatively certain.

From an image I can often make a fairly good guess, but I can very seldom make a guess that is good enough for me to risk my own money on a purchase, nor to advise anybody else to risk their money.

Money is what it comes down to:- every blade ever made is worth something, doesn't matter if its genuine or a considered attempt at fakery, its still worth something, so when we discuss this sort of thing it really becomes the same, or at least similar to, advising somebody to buy or not to buy investment property of any kind --- stocks, shares, real estate.

Nobody who has any integrity gives advice in the area of investment unless they can support that advice. In fact, under the laws of some countries it is an offense to give advice in respect of investment if it can be shown that the advice was given in the absence of good reason to support it.

It is almost impossible to support advice in respect of keris alterations, and many other things concerning keris, from images on a computer screen.

If a guess that I am not in a position to support is of any interest to you, my guess is that this keris was made from an original, much larger keris, and the puthut was carved into an existing gandhik.