Another wootz question

ariel · 3rd January 2009, 12:01 AM

If that's the case, the ingot must have been the determining factor. Then, how did the smiths know which one will produce a Khorasan and which one a Sham? They would have to finish the blade and etch it to reveal the final result. Lower quality(Sham) would have not been discarded ( too expensive), but just sold for a lower price. The highest quality would have been signed "Assadollah". Then, where is the multitude of Sham blades from Iran? Why would ingots from the same source ( mostly India) produce Khorasan blades in Iran and Sham in Turkey? Did the Ottoman bladesmiths consciously select ingots with Sham pattern?

3rd January 2009, 12:01 AM	#6
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	If that's the case, the ingot must have been the determining factor. Then, how did the smiths know which one will produce a Khorasan and which one a Sham? They would have to finish the blade and etch it to reveal the final result. Lower quality(Sham) would have not been discarded ( too expensive), but just sold for a lower price. The highest quality would have been signed "Assadollah". Then, where is the multitude of Sham blades from Iran? Why would ingots from the same source ( mostly India) produce Khorasan blades in Iran and Sham in Turkey? Did the Ottoman bladesmiths consciously select ingots with Sham pattern?