Keris Melayu - all original & unmessed with

A. G. Maisey · 1st February 2007, 12:23 AM

Mamas is that stuff that looks like silver, that gets sold as silver, native silver, low silver, low silver alloy, and anything else that sounds like it might be silver but is not, by dealers who are too lazy or too dishonest to test. Lots of those "silver" Javanese pendok are mamas. I don't know the exact analysis, but its supposedly something like a Chinese white metal alloy that is quite well known---pakalun, or some name like that. It is similar to white brass and nikel silver in appearence and behaviour.Its value is about one fifth of silver.
I buy silver test from a jeweller's supply store.

1st February 2007, 12:23 AM	#9
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Mamas is that stuff that looks like silver, that gets sold as silver, native silver, low silver, low silver alloy, and anything else that sounds like it might be silver but is not, by dealers who are too lazy or too dishonest to test. Lots of those "silver" Javanese pendok are mamas. I don't know the exact analysis, but its supposedly something like a Chinese white metal alloy that is quite well known---pakalun, or some name like that. It is similar to white brass and nikel silver in appearence and behaviour.Its value is about one fifth of silver. I buy silver test from a jeweller's supply store.