These fearsome wavy-edged weapons were crafted by artist-swordsmiths known as empu, who specialised in forging and folding iron and nickel into blades displaying a curious layered or striated effect known as pamor.The blades of the kris are two types. The more valuable and beautiful kind are blades made from alternate layers of steel and "meteoric" iron which contain about three percent nickel. They are then twisted, welded in certain ways and then etched with a mixture of lime juice and arsenious acid to create different patterns on the blade (the watered steel pattern). This antique Kris has a watered pattern design and is in excellent condition as is the hardwood scabbard having just a small chip at the top upper most edge. The overall length is about 17.5" (44.5cm) the blade being 14" (36cm) and the hardwood scabbard about 6" (14cm) at its widest point.