What a wonderful welcome to the Forum. Thank you all who responded. Now I have more questions than before... and it's a good thing
Greg:
Your reflection on the wootz/sham issue is one of the brightest I have ever came across (well, after Ann's, of course
). And I can not agree with you more. It sounds so logical - it's either wootz or mechanical !!! ... (or am I way off changing the conventional wisdom on my second post??).
Rick:
Very short and sweet description of sham pattern. And I'll keep wootz pictures coming. It's the ONLY thing I collect, and amazingly know so little about
Also, the pattern on my blade looks more Chunky than Stripy, and if Manfred Sache categorizes Stripy damask as Sham, should the Chunky be qualified as such, IF AT ALL? (Ann, any comments?)
MORE IMPORTANTLY: If it's not Sham, what do you think it is?
Jeff:
I did not think it's a mechanical pattern, and even with all that "chunks" and blank and empty areas I inclined toward stripy (sham) wootz, but now I am not sure.
Perhaps someone will be able to identify it despite low quality photos (still can not get them right with my Kodak 3MP).
OK, now we're back where we started. The One who said: " Wootz is an amazing and magical thing" was right.
Also, Rick - do you know where can I get Manfred Sache English edition? All I could find is German one on Amazon. Thanks to all!!!