To further confuse the issue... Whose definition of laminated? The English aka Greener? By the time WW wrote his book in 1910, he acknowledged that damascus was no longer being produced in England. There were multiple centers for damascus production, Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Spain over this 100+ period. So what country and what time frame?

I see this as problematic for anyone who attempts to categorize, including Bell. While I have not seen / read his article, did he include any sources that were not English?

The production methods changed over this time span. As did the smelting.

Pete