some of these types of hilt were gilt.
although i have heard this denied, it is generally assumed that steel couldnt be mercury gilt, so it was silvered first, with a light layer of gilding over the silver, giving it a final and appealing gold colour. this was definately a hindu trait (and done profusley on south indian arms), although also widely used on indian islamic arms. as the gilding was very thin, this wore off quickly, leaving just the silvering which, although it lasted longer, was prone to wear off as yours shows.
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