Balinese? Silver 850 mark
Balinese? Silver 850 mark
Hello! I recently purchased this interesting sickle or scythe knife at an estate sale. The hallmark is actually on the blade and it is what looks like a palm tree with 850 and 100% under that. What does this mean? The price sticker said it was a "Bali Knife" but I am not sure they knew what they were talking about. The knife is quite large but does not have a sharpened blade at all. I believe it was made for decorative purposes only or possibly even a presentation piece. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Re: Balinese? Silver 850 mark
Welcome to the Forum.
It looks to me like one style of a kris (also spelled keris), a ceremonial knife carried by men in different SE Asian cultures. For example, in Bali, men perform a trancelike dance making stabbing motions toward their own chest with a kris, so it would make sense to have a decorative, sharp-looking knife that isn't actually sharp.
As to the mark on the blade, I imagine that it is Indonesian writing and designates that the blade is made of 100% of something. Whether silver, steel, or some other metal would be easy enough to test.
Someone more familiar with that part of the world may have a more satisfactory answer. If no clear answer is provided through the Forum, my advice would be to take it to people locally who can read Indonesian and see if they can translate it.
Regards
DR
It looks to me like one style of a kris (also spelled keris), a ceremonial knife carried by men in different SE Asian cultures. For example, in Bali, men perform a trancelike dance making stabbing motions toward their own chest with a kris, so it would make sense to have a decorative, sharp-looking knife that isn't actually sharp.
As to the mark on the blade, I imagine that it is Indonesian writing and designates that the blade is made of 100% of something. Whether silver, steel, or some other metal would be easy enough to test.
Someone more familiar with that part of the world may have a more satisfactory answer. If no clear answer is provided through the Forum, my advice would be to take it to people locally who can read Indonesian and see if they can translate it.
Regards
DR
Re: Balinese? Silver 850 mark
Ahh! That makes alot of sense! I am awaiting a fresh batch of silver tester to find out for sure the silver content, if any. I will keep you posted.Thank you for sharing your knowledge!