Not an expert in this field, but I would guess you could use spectrometry/spectroscopy tools to tell you what the elemental composition is, maybe a SEM to work out the crystallization?
Either way, cloning an established leader isn't always a good strategy for success. You might just end up making a name for yourself as a cheap clone.
Apparently it's not just the mix of metals, but the process.
At college I was acquainted with one of the family and I asked him just that question. He said it is actually very difficult and some MIT people had gotten closer than others to figuring it out (but not very close), and gave up after the mixes/processes kept exploding on them.
One would imagine pretty hard, given that the company hasn't been overrun by competitors. Not to say it's impossible, but generally when something isn't commonplace that is a good sign it's hard.
One of my childhood friends works at Zildjian and has been involved in their metallurgy stuff lately (his picture is actually in the article!). From what he's alluded to, it sounds like they consider their trade secrets around their processes to be the main reason for their competitive advantage, and they're extremely careful about who they're shared with even internally, and the number of people who know some of them probably number only in the single digits.
