Actually, Dennee,
Ring hilts are common on Chinese daggers. The story is that you keep the blade in your boot, and to draw it, you reach down and hook it out by the ring. The ring on the bigger war swords could be used to hang it on a hook or in other similar ways.
In other words, ring hilts are common on chinese sabers and knives.
As I understand it, the genesis of the butterfly saber was that they were paired short sabers that were carried in the boots of monks who were out riding...
For an introductory book on chinese weapons, you might try Yang Jwing-Ming's Ancient Chinese Weapons, A Martial Artist's Guide. Note that this is an introduction for stylists, so it contains line drawings rather than photos.
Otherwise, you need to start looking at books about specific martial arts. As you've found out, there is a tremendous diversity of daos, and my experience is that the more you look, the more you find. Lots of martial arts masters came up with their own special weapons, and they can get pretty weird. Anyone ever seen a chicken foot dao, for instance?
If there's a good book out there for collectors, hopefully someone will bring it up. I don't know of one.
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