Unusual Tibetan sword

[josh stout]

I just got this because I had never seen fittings quite like them. When it arrived it was even stranger than I had thought. The brass work is a bit crude and relatively recent, perhaps early 20th C. The scabbard, instead of having leather between the brass is a sort of corduroy velvet that reminds me of Indian scabbards with cloth coverings. The hilt fittings are clearly Tibetan, but with a style that is strongly Chinese influenced. I am not sure which region of Tibet it is from, but it was collected from the same Tibetan plateau region of Western China that other pieces I have posted came from. The grip is black buffalo horn.

The oddest part is I can see no obvious pattern welding, but there is a series of X marks along the whole blade. If you look closely you can see them in a few photos. The x's look like they were etched as a decoration.

I would appreciate any information people may have.
Josh

http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...rrent=01-2.jpg

http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...rrent=04-1.jpg

http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...current=10.jpg

http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...current=06.jpg