Thank you for responding Stu,
There are conflicting views on restoration. Mine is, to do what is needed to prevent further deterioration and then leave all original materials and components intact. I am open to replacing missing parts, such as the missing button, as long as I know what it originally looked like. Still, even such small additions will constitute tampering with an artifact and changing it from its authentic state, so I am not sure if I will do anything at all for now.
The scabbard metal is brass, and it is not silvered - I am a poor photographer. The "turquoises" to me look like plastic or pieces of tile, or some other material, but they do not look like actual stones. Perhaps someone wanted turquoises for all the talismanic properties attributed to this type of stone, but could not afford it or simply did not have them available.
Do you recognize the scabbard decoration from somewhere? There seems to be a wave motif, which looks familiar, but I cannot tell from where right now.
Regards,
Teodor
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