I ask that because I'm wondering if creatures would react to the sight of them. Would a bunch of invisible fey be able to tell one fighter has a cold iron sword and another doesn't?
Would a werewolf be fooled by mithril?
Would a werewolf be fooled by mithril?
Remember that Mithral counts as Silver for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Unless the werewolf has regeneration x/silver, mithral is going to be just as effective.
Mithral and adamantine are pretty distinctive in appearance; judging from the Mithral Fullplate of Speed in the Core Rulebook, mithral is a very bright and shiny silver, probably to the point that you'd really have to spit-shine normal or alchemical silver to get the same sheen. Adamantine is a dull, black metal (Because it's basically hard, dense space iron).
So far as I see, cold iron doesn't have any special look to it, the only picture given so far in Pathfinder is the Holy Avenger and that's already customized to the point that the base metal's color isn't shown. If you're the GM and want to customize it, by all means go ahead; I like to imagine cold iron being grayish with silvery speckles of lighter iron.
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There have been various definitions of "cold iron". If it's a particular ore, it might take an expert smith or smelter-operator to see the difference. If it's iron shaped only by cold-hammering and grinding, the blade should look quite distinctive.
In general Craft (weapons), Profession (prospector), Profession (miner), Profession (smelter) and Appraise might be appropriate skills to answer this question, whether actually rolled or just looking for ranks.
There have been various definitions of "cold iron". If it's a particular ore, it might take an expert smith or smelter-operator to see the difference. If it's iron shaped only by cold-hammering and grinding, the blade should look quite distinctive.
In general Craft (weapons), Profession (prospector), Profession (miner), Profession (smelter) and Appraise might be appropriate skills to answer this question, whether actually rolled or just looking for ranks.
To determine the type of ore, it would actually be Kn.: Dungeoneering, since it would be identifying a metal or mineral.
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In most fiction where anything is made of a special material that's somehow important, it's usually extremely obvious. Even if the item is ammunition and can't be readily viewed or examined, someone inevitably makes an (amazingly accurate) assumption about what it is. This may only be for the reader's/viewer's benefit, but the characters in the story (protagonists and antagonists alike) are able to act on that knowledge. It stands to reason the characters in a game should receive the same benefit.
So whether or not it makes logical sense, someone in any group should recognize any special material relevant to them.
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Cold Iron is just that, cold iron. It's not steel. It's iron that's been cold forged. In the real world, such a weapon doesn't hold an edge and it's easy to break or bend. It's pretty distinctive compared to steel. If you've ever seen unpainted wrought iron, you've basically seen cold iron. Here's an actual iron sword.
Mithral I've always thought of as being more like white gold, it's silvery, doesn't tarnish, and is expensive. :) Or if you prefer, platinum.
Adamantine I've always pictured like Adamantine Spar, a shiny greyish/nickle metal.
Elysian Bronze, obviously, I've always pictured as a really heavily polished bronze.
Living Steel I kind of imagine looking like unpolished Tourmaline.
Viridium I imagine looks a lot like Green Hiddenite. The name of which I absolutely love by the way. :)
Bloodstone, of course, is the easiest to visual.
adamantine, when it was first described back in 2nd ed AD&D was a black metal with flecks of green. i don't think what it looks like has been described since then.
Adamantine has several pictures in Pathfinder, namely in the special materials section of Ultimate Equipment and a rather large one for the Shard of Greed from Shards of Sin. It's a dull, black metal.