A low- or plain-quality fake of Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom

 Professional Techniques    Fake Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Niyom
A net reader sent me a message attached with the above pictures and requested for a review or comment.

The following was my comment:
Your Somdej Keschaiyo as on the attached pic: the imprint or Phim and its texture are NOT correct when compare to standard items.

What does it mean by the above answer ?
If you are REAL collectors and read the above message, you will exactly understand-- that's SOFT sentence for a FAKE or IMITATION amulet.

In every amulet examination we will first check its IMPRINT (Phim) and then the TEXTURE. If the imprint is NOT correct, we will go no further. And the examination finishes just right there--it's FAKE. But if the imprint is OK, we will go on checking its texture, i.e. materials, surface pattern, and oldness etc.

 Original Authentic Phra Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Jed Chan Niyom ( Seven-tiered Phim Niyom)
                            

                                     Enlarged head section

Professional Techniques Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Niyom(Head Section)

1. Phra Kes or the head stem looks like candle flame
2. Both ears are curved type ( Thai= Hoo Bai Sri)
3. Oval-shaped head
4. Long-stemed neck plus with the oval head looks like a conventional match head

 Original Authentic Phra Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Jed Chan Niyom ( Seven-tiered Phim Niyom)

 Enlarged body & arms section


Professional Techniques  Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Niyom

( Body & Arms Section )
1. The image's curved left arm ( See More Details)
2. Four bends on the right arm, i.e. 2a,2b,2c and 2d. Authentic amulet should have most of these bend traces.
3. Significantly protruded chest
4. Twisted abdomen, looking like the root of a tooth
5. abrupt declination at the overlaping point between the chest and abdomen

 Original Authentic Phra Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Jed Chan Niyom ( Seven-tiered Phim Niyom)

Professional Techniques Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Niyom( Stages Section 1 )

 . The uppermost stage has ascending ends, it collectively looks like a boat.

2. If the lighting beam comes from the amulet top, the forming of clustered pair of the 2nd and 3rd stages (from the bottom) will often be seen.

 Original Authentic Phra Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Jed Chan Niyom ( Seven-tiered Phim Niyom)
Professional Techniques  Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Niyom( Stages Section 2 )

 Around 80% of the left end of the bottommost stage is needle-point like and touch the dome line.
The right end of the bottommost stage touches the dome line and looks like watch-band pin.

 Backside of original authentic Phra Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Jed Chan Niyom ( Seven-tiered Phim Niyom)


Professional Techniques  Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Niyom
(Backside & Linear Cracks)
Linear cracks are often found on the backside edges of Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom. The above backside of Somdej Keschaiyo depicts such the linear cracks.

It is roughly estimated that around 70-80 % of Seven-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom carry linear cracks. No linear cracks found on the backside of Somdej Wat Rakang or Somdej BangKhun- Phrom.

 Professional Techniques Originally Fundamental Amulet of 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom

The above pic is the originally fundamental amulet of 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom. It's very important for comparative study on the deviative transformation of the image body structure. The understanding on such the transformation will help much on the amulet authentication.

 The originally fundamental amulet of 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom


Professional Techniques Original Ridge Face
(1) Please notice the slight arc ridge on the original face of 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom. The amulets with such the complete face have only 1-2 %. Most of the images' face developed to more flatly due to the wear caused by rubbingly using, or mold modifications.

As to the old-time technique the mold was carved from some kinds of soft rock, not from metal as of present popular craftmanship.

 The originally fundamental amulet of 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom. The amulet depicts the head, chest and arms of high relief, but these details were later developed to different forms due to the wear of the mold itself and mold modifications.


Professional Techniques Original Body and Arms
1. Original sharp-bend upper arm, only 20-30 % of amulets have this specific characteristic, and the 70-80% left have developed to the full curved style.
2. Original semi sharp-bend elbow. Most of the amulets have developed to normal curved elbow.

3. Original high groove chest. Only 10-15 % of the amulets have the chest of this style, and 85-90% left have developed to the low-groove chest type.

4. Original sharp-pointed end of the upper arm pierces into the shoulder, only 2-3 % of the amulets have this specific characteristic. Such the sharp-pointed end was later removed due to mold modifications.

The old-time mold was carved from some kinds of soft rock. The mold was using to manufacture the amulets quite a while, then it began wearing. Mold modifications caused the amulet image organs especially the arms and chest were developed to different forms.

 The originally fundamental amulet of 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom.


Professional Technique Tip On The Bell Line
The 7 tiered Somdej Keschaiyo of around 80 % have slightly concaved shape at the end of the bell line. Only 20 % of the amulets have straight line characteristic on this area.
 
 The above benchmark amulet is for comparative study on the image organs' transformation.

The head is smaller. The lower chest begins to be fully filled. The image's upper left arm stretches longer, the space between the arm and the body is wider. The arm belt looks like a wine glass.

Professional Techniques Comparative Study On Transformations
The 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo has many spots for authentication checking, such as the head stem, head, ears, chest and arm belt etc. The arm belt is the most important spot. Arm belts of the amulets look similarly but they are really subtly different in shape. If we understand it thoroughly, we could differentiated the fakes and the real effectively.

Many times that Somdej Keschaiyos have been errorneously judged in amulet competitions--the real became fake and the fakes became real--due to unqualified judges. In a recent competition, a Somdej Keschaiyo was wrongly judged--again. The real-judge-fake amulet was later bought by a highly authoritative veteran collector who are not involved in competition circle.

 The head is smaller and the neck is longer. The image's right arm is a circular arc and closer to the body. The space between the image's left arm and body is wider.

More transformation developments: the chest is wider, the arm belt is more flat and looks like a symmetrical wine glass.

Soft and fine texture of 7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo Phim Niyom. Around 85 % of the Somdej amulets have texture of this type.

 Tiny black burnt incense stick fragments, tiny brown fragments of ground dry flowers, and tiny embedded white holy substance can be seen on the back surface.


Professional Techniques:7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom Texture: Fine Type

Seven-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom was made from holy powder, ground burnt-shell lime, assorted lotus and flowers, incense ash and burnt sticks, banana etc., with adhesive of Tang oil and natural honey. The Somdej amulets have 2 major kinds of texture:

a. Fine type
b. Coarce or rough type
Most of 7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom have fine type texture. The above Somdej amulet is of fine type.

 Soft and fine texture of 7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom. Tiny black fragments of burnt incense stick, brown dry ground flower fragments, and white embedded holy substance can be seen on the front surface.


Professional Techniques:7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom Texture: Fine Type

Thick-layered skin covers real surface, any tiny fragments which might have could not be seen. Anyway, the surface looks soft of which is the most common characteristic of 7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom.

 Soft and classsic fine texture, 7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom. Tiny fragments are scarcely seen on the surface.
Professional Techniques:7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom Texture: Fine Type

Seven-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom has nearly all the same mixture formula as of Somdej Wat Rakang. Rubbingly wearing the old style, dye-cut, heart-shaped case makes partial change on the surface--the heart-shaped area looks very much like classic Somdej Wat Rakang texture.
 Another soft, fine texture of 7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom. Burnt incense stick fragments can be seen on the surface.


Professional Techniques: 7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo, Phim Niyom Texture: Fine Type

Tiny black fragment of burnt incense stick, brown dry ground flowers, and embedded white holy substance can be seen on the back surface. Scratchingly rainy lines can also be seen, such the lines were derived from flattening effort by sweeping the amulet back with hard-edged material.

 Professional Techniques:Fine Texture & Linear Cracks
From the above pic:
1 = looming linear crack
2 = natural linear crack due to dryness and shrinkage of the amulet mixture substance (mostly shell lime ).
7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo was made and blessed by Somdej Phra Phutdhacharn (Toh) of Wat Rakang with high age of nearly 150 years. Quite a long time gradual dryness resulted cracks with specific linear patterns.

7-tiered Somdej KesChaiyo Phim Niyom with very fine texture, tiny materials on the surface are scarcely found. The amulet mixture substance of this kind is porcelain like in some degree.

Professional Techniques:Fine Texture & Linear Cracks
The above pic is 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo Phim Niyom with very fine texture and porcelain-like surface. Cracks on the front surface of this kind will mostly be geometrically linear characteristics. Linear cracks also help much on the amulet authentication.

7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom Hi-powder Content Texture


Professional Techniques
The above 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom is of "KaePhong" or hi-powder content texture. The inner white chalky texture looks very much like Somdej Phra Phutdhacharn(Toh)'s old version Phra Somdej BangKhunPhrom(BKP). And if the texture of a Somdej Keschaiyo amulet is hi-powder content, it is often found that crack characteristic in the inner area of amulet front side is like paddy field surface in a hot dry season while edge cracks are still linear pattern. Please see above pic's pointing arrows:
1. SomdejBKP-like chalky texture
2. Linear crack at the edge
3. Paddyfield-like cracks
Conclusion
From the first start to this end page of 7-tiered Somdej Keschaiyo, Phim Niyom series have told you something -- especially on how complicated it is in an amulet authentication. Not only the Somdejs carry such complicated nature but also do many and many rather old amulets. Real veteran experts and real qualified who know amulets thoroughly and deeply have NOT a lot. Their expertise is based on a long year experiences of having seen real pieces and endeavoring researches. Meanwhile, so many QUACK experts have also been seen in amulet circle of today. They have often judged amulets erroneously and reversingly due to their lacking of real profound knowledge.