Some manufacturers wish to make an “artistic decision” about the layering patterns of their blades and will polish out the pattern in certain areas of the knife. That does not mean these are not actual Damascus steel blades. You should be able to tilt the knife to bright light and still see evidence of these polished areas with the folding pattern underneath. The problem is if the entire blade has no folded pattern and you cannot see any leftover evidence, then you should double-check whether or not it is trustworthy Damascus steel.