I thought as long as we were on kindjals and patterned steel it might be time to bring this thread back out from 2010. The archives really are deep in this forum. I find some new information by accident almost every time I get a chance to dig around and hoped newer members like myself who weren't present for the original discussion may be intrigued. I have noticed an evolution in the opinions of our long term members. Attitudes concerning interpretation of pieces seems to evolve as historical perspective and experience are gained. Scholarship continues to amass and maybe become somewhat less esoteric.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=11694
It is interesting to see that many people have the same trouble as me in being able to identify wootz, sham or otherwise, from finely layered laminates.