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Your Custom Mokume Gane Ring & The Beauty of Nature

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Mokume is a beautiful craft dating back to 17th century Japan for use in sword-making, characterized by a woodgrain like appearance of many layers of different metals fused together to make one piece. This specialized technique of successfully forging together sheets of metal into one billet so that they are bonded and structurally sound requires great skill and years of experience as a metalsmith. 


And with this method of creating and patterning rings by hand, either through forging or carving, there is an inherent variability to how the appearance of the ring will ultimately turn out! One of the things Arn loves about mokume and the practice of making it is that not all aspects of how the final ring will look is controllable, which makes each one truly unique. We know that you love this aspect of mokume as well.  Nature never makes the same thing twice and this is one of the most striking and under-recognized aspects of what we attribute beauty to. Much like life, handmade things are unpredictable and beautiful.  


When you order your ring with us there a few paths to consider. We can help you unravel the work of choosing by walking you through the process a bit here.  We offer Custom and  Bespoke options. 


To help you visualize, here's an example. These two rings are both 7mm wide, made in our Firestorm palette (14kt red gold, 14kt yellow gold, palladium and sterling silver) and Twist pattern, with a low dome profile and etched and oxidized finish. There is no difference in the metals used or the proportion of the metals in the billet used for each ring, but they each have little details and differences that make them unique and distinct from one another!

 

Firestorm in particular of all of our billets has a range of variation that can be more noticeable and less controllable, as it is a four color combination, rather than two or three. As in its name, this palette is meant to be a whirlwind of color all mixed together to echo the complex and mesmerizing varieties of nature. 



Custom vs. Bespoke 

Our bespoke options are studio-approved alterations to existing AKM designs. For example you love the pattern but would like a different stock pallet that we offer ; while custom orders are designed from the ground up! This requires much more communication time as well as time at the bench, than a bespoke alteration.  


Here are a few examples of custom designs. This can include custom patterns designed by Arn, a custom billet different from our usual stock options, a custom setting for an unusual stone, the possibilities are wide open!
 

We wish you all a happy holiday season and a bright new year, and look forward to continuing to create with you!

 

Much love,

Arn Krebs Mokume 

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Your Custom Mokume Gane Ring & The Beauty of Nature

Posted by Susan Freda on

Mokume is a beautiful craft dating back to 17th century Japan for use in sword-making, characterized by a woodgrain like appearance of many layers of different metals fused together to make one piece. This specialized technique of successfully forging together sheets of metal into one billet so that they are bonded and structurally sound requires great skill and years of experience as a metalsmith. 


And with this method of creating and patterning rings by hand, either through forging or carving, there is an inherent variability to how the appearance of the ring will ultimately turn out! One of the things Arn loves about mokume and the practice of making it is that not all aspects of how the final ring will look is controllable, which makes each one truly unique. We know that you love this aspect of mokume as well.  Nature never makes the same thing twice and this is one of the most striking and under-recognized aspects of what we attribute beauty to. Much like life, handmade things are unpredictable and beautiful.  


When you order your ring with us there a few paths to consider. We can help you unravel the work of choosing by walking you through the process a bit here.  We offer Custom and  Bespoke options. 


To help you visualize, here's an example. These two rings are both 7mm wide, made in our Firestorm palette (14kt red gold, 14kt yellow gold, palladium and sterling silver) and Twist pattern, with a low dome profile and etched and oxidized finish. There is no difference in the metals used or the proportion of the metals in the billet used for each ring, but they each have little details and differences that make them unique and distinct from one another!

 

Firestorm in particular of all of our billets has a range of variation that can be more noticeable and less controllable, as it is a four color combination, rather than two or three. As in its name, this palette is meant to be a whirlwind of color all mixed together to echo the complex and mesmerizing varieties of nature. 



Custom vs. Bespoke 

Our bespoke options are studio-approved alterations to existing AKM designs. For example you love the pattern but would like a different stock pallet that we offer ; while custom orders are designed from the ground up! This requires much more communication time as well as time at the bench, than a bespoke alteration.  


Here are a few examples of custom designs. This can include custom patterns designed by Arn, a custom billet different from our usual stock options, a custom setting for an unusual stone, the possibilities are wide open!
 

We wish you all a happy holiday season and a bright new year, and look forward to continuing to create with you!

 

Much love,

Arn Krebs Mokume 

Read more

Mokume Metals By Palette

Posted by Susan Freda on

We often get questions about metal palette colors, and we've noticed sometimes it seems unclear which metals are which, especially because the colors can look different in the context of different palettes! So we've created these diagrams of a few of our more popular palettes to help point out which metals are which. 
 

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Mokume Metals By Palette

Posted by Susan Freda on

We often get questions about metal palette colors, and we've noticed sometimes it seems unclear which metals are which, especially because the colors can look different in the context of different palettes! So we've created these diagrams of a few of our more popular palettes to help point out which metals are which. 
 

Read more

Custom Mokume Gane Pattern Ring Process!

Posted by Susan Freda on

Arn just finished up this custom order, here are some behind the scenes of his process! Starting out with cutting and stacking the billet, to forming and forging the pattern.
This ring is a custom pattern request as well as a custom billet, with layers of varying thickness and a gentle wave look, resembling flowing water like a river. The billet is composed of palladium and 14kt yellow gold. 

Read more

Custom Mokume Gane Pattern Ring Process!

Posted by Susan Freda on

Arn just finished up this custom order, here are some behind the scenes of his process! Starting out with cutting and stacking the billet, to forming and forging the pattern.
This ring is a custom pattern request as well as a custom billet, with layers of varying thickness and a gentle wave look, resembling flowing water like a river. The billet is composed of palladium and 14kt yellow gold. 

Read more

Our Most Popular Mokume Patterns

Posted by Susan Freda on

Woodgrain (left) and Twist (right)

All mokume patterns are achieved by one of two processes; carving or forging. Guri Bori mokume requires the most involved carving, resulting in a ring that has recesses or layers that resemble topography. Other carved patterns include the woodgrain pattern, twist pattern, and the droplet pattern. Forged patterns include vortex, flow, echo, labyrinth, infinity, metamorphic, as well as others.

Our two most Popular patterns of Arns are the "Woodgrain" and the "Twist" pattern.  The term "Woodgrain" is also synonymous with the word mokume which translates roughly from Japanese to "wood eye metal". 

We have created this side by side comparison to help see the differences in these two patterns across our most popular palette Firestorm ( 14kt red gold, 14kt yellow gold, palladium and sterling silver). 

You will see the the twist pattern has a diagonal orientation with fine lines running across it.  The woodgrain is more of a horizontal orientation with figured areas or islands as we call them. 

 

Read more

Our Most Popular Mokume Patterns

Posted by Susan Freda on

Woodgrain (left) and Twist (right)

All mokume patterns are achieved by one of two processes; carving or forging. Guri Bori mokume requires the most involved carving, resulting in a ring that has recesses or layers that resemble topography. Other carved patterns include the woodgrain pattern, twist pattern, and the droplet pattern. Forged patterns include vortex, flow, echo, labyrinth, infinity, metamorphic, as well as others.

Our two most Popular patterns of Arns are the "Woodgrain" and the "Twist" pattern.  The term "Woodgrain" is also synonymous with the word mokume which translates roughly from Japanese to "wood eye metal". 

We have created this side by side comparison to help see the differences in these two patterns across our most popular palette Firestorm ( 14kt red gold, 14kt yellow gold, palladium and sterling silver). 

You will see the the twist pattern has a diagonal orientation with fine lines running across it.  The woodgrain is more of a horizontal orientation with figured areas or islands as we call them. 

 

Read more

To Oxidize or Not to Oxidize Your Mokume Gane Ring?

Posted by Susan Freda on

We offer a few different options for the finish of your mokume gane ring, and each offers a different look and quality. One of these options is oxidation, where the silver layers in a ring are darkened to increase the contrast between the metal colors! It’s great for those who want a bold, high contrast look, and makes the patterning stand out more.

Read more

To Oxidize or Not to Oxidize Your Mokume Gane Ring?

Posted by Susan Freda on

We offer a few different options for the finish of your mokume gane ring, and each offers a different look and quality. One of these options is oxidation, where the silver layers in a ring are darkened to increase the contrast between the metal colors! It’s great for those who want a bold, high contrast look, and makes the patterning stand out more.

Read more