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Originally Posted by AkaaliSingh
How can one tell the difference between glass or crystal on handles? This boggles my mind :s The blade here looks to be pattern welded?
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Glass is homogeneous, crystal is not (meaning it has inclusions and some separation cracks between the crystalline planes) but NOT bubbles.
Glass on the other hand may show bubbles.
But for smaller pieces that is not always the case, as smaller pieces can be completely free from inclusions.
Another sign would be the way it lets the light pass through it. Under particular angles, under bright light, quartz will split the light and give a rainbow effect. Glass won't show this as it is amorphous and lets the light pass the same way no matter what angle.
But it is not easy.
There are other methods like measuring the electric conductivity (glass is excellent insulator, quartz is electric conductive), thermal conductivity, etc. But these methods need special measuring equipment.
Last, but not least there is the scratching test. Quartz is harder than glass so glass doesn't scratch quartz easily, while quartz scratches easily glass.
As with regards to the blade, the one of the Pesh-kabz is pattern welded and the one of the Khanjar is wootz.