Duke Nivram
(Something Clever)
With modern Damascus, the blank is made by alternating layers of tarnishable and shiny metals, welded together then twisted / manipulated to create the patterns. Usually some sort of acid etching is used as a final step to bring out the contrasts.
Which means there's a wide variety of metals that can be used to make modern Damascus, of varying quality. Whether that matters depends on what it'll be used for, i.e. knife blade vs. ornament.
I've learned that 1095 & 15N20 are popular among knifemakers to creates quality performance Damascus blades, but 1095 rusts very easily...
If by "real" you mean original Damascus, unlikely - most examples of that are in museums and very high-end private collections...
Beautiful ring, BTW...
thanks i wanted something durable yet different and I like that it has some weight to it. I can tell you it is magnetic and that was something i did not think about until the first time a magnet stuck to it and startled me. then i went "well duh"