Recently made Omani Kattara / Saif

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Call it what you like, but my point was that in future years, if this REPLICA surfaces for resale, the future buyer could well be duped if the seller suggests that this is a RARE ORIGINAL ROYAL HILTED SWORD or suchlike and ends up paying huge amounts of money for something which is nothing more than a FAKE. I think by now we all know how good your workshop is at turning out modern made items, so all I am trying to do is safeguard the collectors of the future.

Salaams kahnjar1,
No such thing as a rare original royal hilt unless you are refering to the one in the museum ~ Like the Royal Hilted Khanjars there is nothing particularly rare about a Royal Hilt... anyone can wear one.. Its traditional, accepted and ongoing.

I expect people will still be Iconizing Khanjars and hilts of swords for hundreds of years here.. That is the Omani way... "The tradition" is alive and well. If you can grasp that perhaps you will be closer to understanding Oman.

If a new piece is added as a replacement on one of my items for example a Khanjar or Sword which has no hilt or the scabbard dissappeared 50 years ago or the silver is incomplete; We restore to as close to perfection as we can. As you know Khanjars are for ever being altered and changed for better blades etc in an upgrading process that goes back centuries.. The same with swords whose hilts often fall apart or the silver becomes battered damaged or lost... see Kattara for comments . I have just posted a fantastic dancing sword whose scabbard is in need of redoing... New silver toe and furniture needed.

In the case of an heirloom piece or a gift or an item for a client the work is recorded, photographed and certificated as it is restored so that there is always a historical account of what we did... and of course it must always be sympathetically carried out and reversible. Thats what we do.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.