Indian Wootz Shamshir with antler hilt?

[Orang Lama]

Hi,

Just posting this here, because I've never come across anything like this before. At first I thought the hilt slabs were made from stained ivory, but it turns out they're made from deer antler(?) and covered in a dark brown substance that almost looks like hide glue or shellac. So I was just wondering if anyone has seen anything like this before? And if the dark substance is glue, was it perhaps for some sort of inlaid decoration or gilding, or was it purely to highlight the carved design?