Wierd Riau Keris Blade
 

Got this piece recently and was told that it is a Malay Riau keris. While it may has a typical bugis damascene blade with pamor hujung gunung and kulit semangka, the thing that makes it different is the "scales" that appear throughout one third of the blade from the base followed by talismanic / Quranic verse towards the tip. The sheath however is badly cracked and probably needs major restoration.

Is this considered as "naga bugis / Riau blade"? And that being Islamically inclined Muslim ethnic community in the Riau islands, the naga form was not depicted on the blade but just the "scales'?

Any input from fellow forumites?

My feeling is that the scales, and probably the verse as well, were added later in the life of this keris. Since this is not a naga keris the scales really don't make much sense, i'm afraid. :shrug:

Yep.