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This is a beautifully done art project, but it's curious how relevant comparisons made are to reality. The handle could be easily made of tubes for massive weight reduction and potentially improved rigidity, for example.

It seems the idea is to take an existing umbrella, reproduce it faithfully in different materials, and then comparing results: like right-clicking an umbrella_object displayed on a 3D modeling tool and changing texture bitmaps. I suppose justification to that is it has to be apples to apples comparison.

But that's not how objects are manufactured in the real world: Parts are designed for specific materials and means of fabrication. Replicating existing man-made object with a manufacturing method the object was not intended to be manufactured with leads to subpar results. If I'm making something out of carbon fiber, I'd try to minimize numbers of screw holes. If it's to be made of aluminum, I'd avoid repeated stresses, but if it's to be made of steel, flexure joints becomes an option. If I'm 3D printing something, I'd try to minimize overhangs below 45 degrees. If I'm designing for injection molding, I'd avoid wide flat surfaces and abrupt changes in cross sections. If I'm milling something, I'd repeatedly check for tool clearances, try to minimize amounts removed(which may result in thicker walls), and avoid complex curves as I design it.

I'm not going to take an J-shaped umbrella grip and instruct a factory worker to EDM it out of pre-tempered glass block. Even if I managed to have it done, and if it ended up weighing as much as a steel handle, that won't tell much about viability of glass-framed umbrella in general.