In the first piece posted, the blade is wootz. Sham is a pattern style of wootz. The carving in the middle of the handle reminds me of "Marsh Arab" Jambiya although the handle form is not quite the same. I would vote for Iraqi/Kurdish origin for this piece. The picture is not too good in the Qama to be able to tell for sure but it does look more like pattern welding versus wootz. I don't think there is a definitive way to tell other than through experience in viewing various watered steels and gaining an understanding of what to look for to recognize each. Two decent books on the subject are Sasche's "Damascus Steel" where he has lots of good images and technical descriptions on the different types of "watered" steel. The other book is "On Damascus Steel" by Figiel. Less technical but lots of great images of wootz and pattern welded blades.
|
15th December 2005, 12:13 AM
Threaded Mode