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News from the Studio!

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Find Sue's Work at These Galleries This Summer


You can find Sue's work at Patricia Rovzar Gallery in beautiful downtown Seattle, WA. At home at the gorgeous and beachy Charlestown Gallery, in Florida at Rosenbaum Contemporary, Art Source in Chicago, Jules Place in Boston, and at the Shayne Gallery in Montreal.



Sue will be exhibiting by invitation in a summer Fiber Art Show "Tensions: New Directions in the Fiber Art World" at the Bristol Art Museum. Reception Monday August 7th, 6-8pm.

If you are local we hope you will pop in!


Sue recently had an interview with Canvas Rebel Magazine on the process of becoming an Artist. Here's a link to that interview.

 

Pictured below: Ocean Front Dress;"Mare Frons" and above, Glowing Glass;"Candenti Vitro"

 Watch the process here as Sue adds resin and metal powders to her latest dress!

Read more

News from the Studio!

Posted by Susan Freda on

Find Sue's Work at These Galleries This Summer


You can find Sue's work at Patricia Rovzar Gallery in beautiful downtown Seattle, WA. At home at the gorgeous and beachy Charlestown Gallery, in Florida at Rosenbaum Contemporary, Art Source in Chicago, Jules Place in Boston, and at the Shayne Gallery in Montreal.



Sue will be exhibiting by invitation in a summer Fiber Art Show "Tensions: New Directions in the Fiber Art World" at the Bristol Art Museum. Reception Monday August 7th, 6-8pm.

If you are local we hope you will pop in!


Sue recently had an interview with Canvas Rebel Magazine on the process of becoming an Artist. Here's a link to that interview.

 

Pictured below: Ocean Front Dress;"Mare Frons" and above, Glowing Glass;"Candenti Vitro"

 Watch the process here as Sue adds resin and metal powders to her latest dress!

Read more

Arn's Latest Metal Patterning in Mokume/

Posted by Susan Freda on

Arn recently completed some beautiful custom mokume wedding rings featuring stones, so we wanted to share these and talk about different options for stone setting and showing off a statement stone! 

When we think of a "traditional" engagement/wedding style, the prong setting easily comes to mind. While this is indeed a classic look, there are some downsides to a prong setting. One thing to keep in mind is that they tend to be higher profile and more vulnerable, making it more likely to get snagged or bumped. Prongs can also weaken over time, and usually require re-tipping to keep a stone secure. Considering this, we'd like to show you a few more hardy and unique (but still elegant) bezel setting styles that can be made to last just like the mokume itself!

A great option for larger and uniquely shaped stones is a bezel setting! Here we have a few different takes on that style that complement the aesthetic of the mokume while also providing protection and support for these stones.

This is a partial mokume bezel, it can also be done as a full bezel, surrounding the stone on all sides. It is created from a piece of mokume stock just like the main ring, and helps the setting feel like an extension of the band with the continuation of mokume patterning!



Here is an example of another partial bezel, but shown in a solid 14kt yellow gold that complements the palette of the band. Bezels are also great for more unique stone shapes such as this elongated hexagon shaped sapphire! They can be custom made to wrap around different stones, and as shown here they can be done in the partial style to still show off more of the stone if desired.

Lastly, shown here is an example of our Mesa style setting. This is an excellent option if you are wanting something similar to a flush setting but with a larger stone! We can flush set stones up to 3mm wide, as any larger are usually too deep for the thickness of our bands. This setting looks great with our Guri Bori pattern as shown here, inspired by natural landforms of the western US.

Read more

Arn's Latest Metal Patterning in Mokume/

Posted by Susan Freda on

Arn recently completed some beautiful custom mokume wedding rings featuring stones, so we wanted to share these and talk about different options for stone setting and showing off a statement stone! 

When we think of a "traditional" engagement/wedding style, the prong setting easily comes to mind. While this is indeed a classic look, there are some downsides to a prong setting. One thing to keep in mind is that they tend to be higher profile and more vulnerable, making it more likely to get snagged or bumped. Prongs can also weaken over time, and usually require re-tipping to keep a stone secure. Considering this, we'd like to show you a few more hardy and unique (but still elegant) bezel setting styles that can be made to last just like the mokume itself!

A great option for larger and uniquely shaped stones is a bezel setting! Here we have a few different takes on that style that complement the aesthetic of the mokume while also providing protection and support for these stones.

This is a partial mokume bezel, it can also be done as a full bezel, surrounding the stone on all sides. It is created from a piece of mokume stock just like the main ring, and helps the setting feel like an extension of the band with the continuation of mokume patterning!



Here is an example of another partial bezel, but shown in a solid 14kt yellow gold that complements the palette of the band. Bezels are also great for more unique stone shapes such as this elongated hexagon shaped sapphire! They can be custom made to wrap around different stones, and as shown here they can be done in the partial style to still show off more of the stone if desired.

Lastly, shown here is an example of our Mesa style setting. This is an excellent option if you are wanting something similar to a flush setting but with a larger stone! We can flush set stones up to 3mm wide, as any larger are usually too deep for the thickness of our bands. This setting looks great with our Guri Bori pattern as shown here, inspired by natural landforms of the western US.

Read more

A Healing Garden

Posted by Susan Freda on

Sue's collaboration with WBNA has begun to bear fruit. The WBNA was given a grant for the "Healing Garden Sanctuary" from the Garden Foundation of RI.
Sue plans to incorporate sculptural pieces into the garden over time, like this outdoor dress sculpture and other woven forms created in collaboration with local nonprofits and schools.
Plans are underway to break ground soon and to stay posted for events and how to participate.  

Read more

A Healing Garden

Posted by Susan Freda on

Sue's collaboration with WBNA has begun to bear fruit. The WBNA was given a grant for the "Healing Garden Sanctuary" from the Garden Foundation of RI.
Sue plans to incorporate sculptural pieces into the garden over time, like this outdoor dress sculpture and other woven forms created in collaboration with local nonprofits and schools.
Plans are underway to break ground soon and to stay posted for events and how to participate.  

Read more

The Art of Flow-Handmade Wedding Rings

Posted by Susan Freda on

The Flow pattern is one of Arn's signature designs, an original forged pattern that he's continued to hone over the years. One of Arn's favorite aspects of working with mokume is creating and developing new patterns and exploring the possibilities this beautiful and complex craft can offer.

Read more

The Art of Flow-Handmade Wedding Rings

Posted by Arn Krebs on

The Flow pattern is one of Arn's signature designs, an original forged pattern that he's continued to hone over the years. One of Arn's favorite aspects of working with mokume is creating and developing new patterns and exploring the possibilities this beautiful and complex craft can offer.

Read more

Your Custom Mokume Tri Color Ring & The Beauty of Nature

Posted by Arn Krebs 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) Tri color ring 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

Your Custom Mokume Tri Color 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) Tri color ring 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