Interesting Philippine Sundang for comment

[kai]

Congrats, a very good bargain you got there!

I thought it could be post WW2, but it is of pretty good quality; are the inlays silver ? It is a distinctive blade; any way of knowing who made it ?

I believe this could well be Maranao, possibly from the Lake Lanao area.

I don't think we'll be able to pin down the panday who crafted this blade - it's probably more like a recognizable style which was in fashion during an extended period and possibly crafted by a number of (possibly unrelated) bladesmiths. At least there are varying qualities if you compare several similar pieces.

I'm fairly convinced that the inlay is silver. If it tarnishes like silver a while after polishing, you probably won't need to test it. Brass inlay is more difficult to work with and this is quality work done for a customer who could afford to pay for silver.

I believe that Detlef's sugggestion to recarve the remaining pommel is certainly worth a try. Get Jose to do some metal bands for the gripping area if you like to restore the original appearance as much as possible.

Are you going to etch the blade? I believe it could be worth it!

Regards,
Kai