What a nice piece Robert!
First thought was that it reminded me of the
Hudiedao (have a look at Gavs impressive selection).
The scabbard is really familiar and I'm sure I've seen something similar... somewhere.......
As Tim noted, the 'thimbles' are kind of distinctive. Iron with a brass band? I've not seen ones like that before. I'd say they are a good clue for identifying the place of manufacture (thimbles are quite collectable, must be a forum somewhere).
Then the handle shape looks Phillipine....
How about a fusion piece? Many Chinese immigrants worked in the clothing trade?
I absolutely love it though! It looks very well made. An extremely interesting piece.
Gene