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About Arn: Earthships, The Western Slope of Colorado, and a DIY Life
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Arn's lifelong immersion in nature and adventure, his education as an artist, and his years of experience making fine jewelry as both a designer and a master craftsperson all come together in mokume-gane.
Arn received his BFA in Metalsmithing from Montana State University, and his MFA from the University of Hawaii. Then, he worked at Skylight Jewelers in Boston, Massachusetts as a bench jeweler and goldsmith. His Mokume Gane rings and jewelry stand out as superb examples of this ancient art form and as exquisitely elegant examples of modern design.
Arn grew up in the western slopes of Colorado, among a family of mountain climbers, environmentalists, and adventurers. Steeped in the culture of DIY exploration, he and his family entirely constructed the family’s off-the-grid, “Earth Ship” home in the early 90’s (pictured here).
Arn learned at an early age to test the limits of the physical world with his explorations into athletic pursuits: skiing and mountain biking, construction and art-making. Arn is a highly-skilled and proficient multi-media artist that includes a background in glassblowing, ceramics, woodworking and metal smithing.
Arn is endlessly inspired by the repeating patterns he sees in nature. He has found a particular love for the ring form as it is the most represented image in nature and is ripe with symbolism. Arn works to bring this beauty to his work through his deep appreciation of color and pattern. Arn draws patterns day and night and works with his materials to make the metal represent what he sees in his mind. The process is part alchemy and part engineering, and it seems that Arn is indeed marrying the two.
It is important to Arn that the ethics of equality and environmental care are attended to within our business and that all of our products are made by hand. Arn strives to deliver a product that will be cherished for many generations to come and that represents the best we can offer aesthetically, materially and design-wise.
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About Arn: Earthships, The Western Slope of Colorado, and a DIY Life
Posted by Susan Freda on
Arn's lifelong immersion in nature and adventure, his education as an artist, and his years of experience making fine jewelry as both a designer and a master craftsperson all come together in mokume-gane.
Arn received his BFA in Metalsmithing from Montana State University, and his MFA from the University of Hawaii. Then, he worked at Skylight Jewelers in Boston, Massachusetts as a bench jeweler and goldsmith. His Mokume Gane rings and jewelry stand out as superb examples of this ancient art form and as exquisitely elegant examples of modern design.
Arn grew up in the western slopes of Colorado, among a family of mountain climbers, environmentalists, and adventurers. Steeped in the culture of DIY exploration, he and his family entirely constructed the family’s off-the-grid, “Earth Ship” home in the early 90’s (pictured here).
Arn learned at an early age to test the limits of the physical world with his explorations into athletic pursuits: skiing and mountain biking, construction and art-making. Arn is a highly-skilled and proficient multi-media artist that includes a background in glassblowing, ceramics, woodworking and metal smithing.
Arn is endlessly inspired by the repeating patterns he sees in nature. He has found a particular love for the ring form as it is the most represented image in nature and is ripe with symbolism. Arn works to bring this beauty to his work through his deep appreciation of color and pattern. Arn draws patterns day and night and works with his materials to make the metal represent what he sees in his mind. The process is part alchemy and part engineering, and it seems that Arn is indeed marrying the two.
It is important to Arn that the ethics of equality and environmental care are attended to within our business and that all of our products are made by hand. Arn strives to deliver a product that will be cherished for many generations to come and that represents the best we can offer aesthetically, materially and design-wise.
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
Selecting Stones For YOur Custom Mokume Ring
Posted by Susan Freda on
Hi folks! As we’ve seen a lot of interest recently in engagement style rings and in rings with set stones in general, we wanted to offer some helpful tips for choosing stones for a ring design. We’re always happy to help source stones if needed, but we thought it would be good to give you a place to start from if you’re just starting out your design journey. Some types of stones are much better suited for rings than others, rings take a lot of wear, and many stones, while beautiful, don’t have the longevity needed.
No need to worry though, there are many great options for stones that are strong and long lasting! Our go to choices are diamonds, sapphires, and moissanites.
Let’s start off with the “classic wedding” option, diamonds. Everyone knows that diamonds are extremely hard, which makes them amazing for rings, but did you know that they can be found in a variety of looks and colors?
Shown here are two more unconventional diamond options, a Cognac colored diamond, and an uncut diamond crystal. Diamonds can be found in many different colors, and even unusual shapes like the uncut one, for a fresh take on the old classic look. Another factor to consider with diamonds is whether you want to go with natural or lab grown. Lab grown diamonds are actually just as strong and high quality as naturally found ones, but since they’re grown in labs they’re a fraction of the price, so this is a great option if you want a diamond but you’re trying to keep to a tighter budget.
Now onto sapphires, nearly as hard as diamonds, and one of our favorite types of stones to use in designs as they’re incredibly diverse and work for so many different looks, but still have the needed strength to last in rings.
Sapphires can come in every color of the rainbow, and even multicolor as seen here with this Montana sapphire! So they’re a great choice if you love color and/or are looking for something really unique. When we receive inquiries for colored stone recommendations, we usually will suggest sapphires.
And last but certainly not least, we have Moissanites! More of an uncommon choice, Moissanites are an amazing stone option. These are man made stones, based on material originally discovered in a meteor crater in 1893 by scientist Henri Moissan. We like to think of them as cosmic space glitter. They are a great alternative if you want the diamond look without the cost, and are still high quality and very strong. 
Shown here is a hexagon cut Moissanite, to show the beautiful look that can be achieved.
We know that diving into the world of ring designs and navigating through the incredible number of options for stones can seem daunting! So we’re always happy to help and give advice where we can to help you bring your vision to life. We source stones from cherished dealers who we’ve cultivated relationships with, and that offer consistently high quality stones. If you’re interested in a special piece for yourself or a loved one get in touch and start the conversation early! We’re now booking into March for custom work, so the sooner the better!
Much love,
Arn Krebs Mokume
Read more
Selecting Stones For YOur Custom Mokume Ring
Posted by Susan Freda on
Hi folks! As we’ve seen a lot of interest recently in engagement style rings and in rings with set stones in general, we wanted to offer some helpful tips for choosing stones for a ring design. We’re always happy to help source stones if needed, but we thought it would be good to give you a place to start from if you’re just starting out your design journey. Some types of stones are much better suited for rings than others, rings take a lot of wear, and many stones, while beautiful, don’t have the longevity needed.
No need to worry though, there are many great options for stones that are strong and long lasting! Our go to choices are diamonds, sapphires, and moissanites.
Let’s start off with the “classic wedding” option, diamonds. Everyone knows that diamonds are extremely hard, which makes them amazing for rings, but did you know that they can be found in a variety of looks and colors?
Shown here are two more unconventional diamond options, a Cognac colored diamond, and an uncut diamond crystal. Diamonds can be found in many different colors, and even unusual shapes like the uncut one, for a fresh take on the old classic look. Another factor to consider with diamonds is whether you want to go with natural or lab grown. Lab grown diamonds are actually just as strong and high quality as naturally found ones, but since they’re grown in labs they’re a fraction of the price, so this is a great option if you want a diamond but you’re trying to keep to a tighter budget.
Now onto sapphires, nearly as hard as diamonds, and one of our favorite types of stones to use in designs as they’re incredibly diverse and work for so many different looks, but still have the needed strength to last in rings.
Sapphires can come in every color of the rainbow, and even multicolor as seen here with this Montana sapphire! So they’re a great choice if you love color and/or are looking for something really unique. When we receive inquiries for colored stone recommendations, we usually will suggest sapphires.
And last but certainly not least, we have Moissanites! More of an uncommon choice, Moissanites are an amazing stone option. These are man made stones, based on material originally discovered in a meteor crater in 1893 by scientist Henri Moissan. We like to think of them as cosmic space glitter. They are a great alternative if you want the diamond look without the cost, and are still high quality and very strong.
Shown here is a hexagon cut Moissanite, to show the beautiful look that can be achieved.
We know that diving into the world of ring designs and navigating through the incredible number of options for stones can seem daunting! So we’re always happy to help and give advice where we can to help you bring your vision to life. We source stones from cherished dealers who we’ve cultivated relationships with, and that offer consistently high quality stones. If you’re interested in a special piece for yourself or a loved one get in touch and start the conversation early! We’re now booking into March for custom work, so the sooner the better!
Much love,
Arn Krebs Mokume
Read more
What's Been Happening at Susan Freda Studios
Posted by Susan Freda on
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What's Been Happening at Susan Freda Studios
Posted by Susan Freda on
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The Custom Design Experience
Posted by Arn Krebs on
The Custom Design Experience
At Arn Krebs Mokume we offer the unique opportunity to customize and design an heirloom piece of jewelry within our mokume aesthetic. We are so honored to create these pieces for our customers and to work together to build truly special and one-of-a-kind pieces of work.
We have put together this overview to help you understand the steps and conversations involved in creating your completely unique piece of art, and hopefully make it a truly enjoyable process.
Read more about it here and check out some killer examples below.
Let's get started!
Consultation & Design
How long this part of the custom process takes varies widely depending on how complicated the design is. Sometimes people come to us knowing exactly what they want, while others have more of a general concept or an idea for something new. We’ll work with you to build out the details from the ground up!
When you inquire about a ring design, we start the process of your custom order with a conversation about what you are looking for. Do you know what pattern, palette, finish, and other design options you’d like, or would you like some guidance? Do you want a plain band, or are you looking to incorporate stones? If you want to use stones, what kind? How would you like them set? And don’t worry — we’ll guide you through this process!
Also during this time we’ll create quotes, Arn may make some sketches, and we will answer any questions you have.
Communication & Details
Once all the details have been decided on, you’ll place your deposit and enter our work queue. We ask for a 50% deposit to get started, with the remainder due once production is complete.
Sizing
Did you know your ring size can vary depending on the width of a band? We’ll send you a few different sizers (plain metal bands in different sizes) for a $50 fee, and you’ll have two weeks to try them out and send them back. We recommend you wear them as consistently as possible, because finger size fluctuates throughout the day and even from week to week. We want to create a ring that will fit you comfortably every day.
Gemstone Sourcing (Heirloom, Lab-grown or Natural?)
After we begin our conversations, you are welcome to send us heirloom stones if you’re reusing them from older jewelry pieces. Please let us know if you send them by mail; we'll want to keep a close eye out for them. We love being able to give these sentimental pieces a fresh breath of life by incorporating them into new designs!
We have some great suggestions of gemstones we work with, and love, on a regular basis, but Arn is also available to personally source stones for your design based on the setting style and your tastes. We have trusted stone dealers with established relationships from whom we can source lab grown or natural diamonds, sapphires, moissanites, and other stones. Understandably, this does increase project scope and turnaround time. We also welcome stones that you have sourced, but Arn must check them out first to be sure they are quality cuts and suited to the setting.
Recycling Your Metal
We’d love to be able to re-use your metal, but unfortunately we can’t properly fuse metal with unknown alloys into mokume. BUT, we can take it and melt it down and give you a credit towards your final purchase. Or, if the the metal has sentimental value, we have a few creative ways to incorporate the metal into a rail or a dot in all of our rings.
Production Time
Production time varies depending on the design and pattern. Most of our standard bands will be ready to ship in 6-8 weeks, but more complicated and customized rings can take closer to 10-11 weeks, so keep this in mind while planning! We do offer rush services for an extra fee, but it’s always best to plan as far ahead as you are able.
If you have questions that come up while you’re waiting for your ring to be completed, we are always here to answer them!
Project Completion
Once your ring is finished, we’ll be in touch to let you know that we are sending over professional images of your completed ring so that you can preview (and have a keepsake). Once you approve your order, we’ll send an invoice for your final payment and ship it out! So exciting!
Shipping
We use secure USPS Priority shipping for our US orders, which is included in your final cost, and UPS for international orders, which is an additional fee. Both are very reliable services, and we purchase insurance for all shipments. We’ll notify you when your ring ships with all tracking info, and follow-up to make sure you love your ring!
We hope this has answered your questions and shown you that designing a custom ring is really quite simple (especially when someone else is doing the hard work!). We'd love to share more and guide you through the process, so please don't hesitate to contact us by just hitting reply to this email, or clicking the button below. Lastly, check out our NEW website, it's gorgeous!
Be well!
Arn Krebs, Sue Freda &
The Arn Krebs Team
Read more
The Custom Design Experience
Posted by Arn Krebs on
The Custom Design Experience
At Arn Krebs Mokume we offer the unique opportunity to customize and design an heirloom piece of jewelry within our mokume aesthetic. We are so honored to create these pieces for our customers and to work together to build truly special and one-of-a-kind pieces of work.
We have put together this overview to help you understand the steps and conversations involved in creating your completely unique piece of art, and hopefully make it a truly enjoyable process.
Read more about it here and check out some killer examples below.
Let's get started!
Consultation & Design
How long this part of the custom process takes varies widely depending on how complicated the design is. Sometimes people come to us knowing exactly what they want, while others have more of a general concept or an idea for something new. We’ll work with you to build out the details from the ground up!
When you inquire about a ring design, we start the process of your custom order with a conversation about what you are looking for. Do you know what pattern, palette, finish, and other design options you’d like, or would you like some guidance? Do you want a plain band, or are you looking to incorporate stones? If you want to use stones, what kind? How would you like them set? And don’t worry — we’ll guide you through this process!
Also during this time we’ll create quotes, Arn may make some sketches, and we will answer any questions you have.
Communication & Details
Once all the details have been decided on, you’ll place your deposit and enter our work queue. We ask for a 50% deposit to get started, with the remainder due once production is complete.
Sizing
Did you know your ring size can vary depending on the width of a band? We’ll send you a few different sizers (plain metal bands in different sizes) for a $50 fee, and you’ll have two weeks to try them out and send them back. We recommend you wear them as consistently as possible, because finger size fluctuates throughout the day and even from week to week. We want to create a ring that will fit you comfortably every day.
Gemstone Sourcing (Heirloom, Lab-grown or Natural?)
After we begin our conversations, you are welcome to send us heirloom stones if you’re reusing them from older jewelry pieces. Please let us know if you send them by mail; we'll want to keep a close eye out for them. We love being able to give these sentimental pieces a fresh breath of life by incorporating them into new designs!
We have some great suggestions of gemstones we work with, and love, on a regular basis, but Arn is also available to personally source stones for your design based on the setting style and your tastes. We have trusted stone dealers with established relationships from whom we can source lab grown or natural diamonds, sapphires, moissanites, and other stones. Understandably, this does increase project scope and turnaround time. We also welcome stones that you have sourced, but Arn must check them out first to be sure they are quality cuts and suited to the setting.
Recycling Your Metal
We’d love to be able to re-use your metal, but unfortunately we can’t properly fuse metal with unknown alloys into mokume. BUT, we can take it and melt it down and give you a credit towards your final purchase. Or, if the the metal has sentimental value, we have a few creative ways to incorporate the metal into a rail or a dot in all of our rings.
Production Time
Production time varies depending on the design and pattern. Most of our standard bands will be ready to ship in 6-8 weeks, but more complicated and customized rings can take closer to 10-11 weeks, so keep this in mind while planning! We do offer rush services for an extra fee, but it’s always best to plan as far ahead as you are able.
If you have questions that come up while you’re waiting for your ring to be completed, we are always here to answer them!
Project Completion
Once your ring is finished, we’ll be in touch to let you know that we are sending over professional images of your completed ring so that you can preview (and have a keepsake). Once you approve your order, we’ll send an invoice for your final payment and ship it out! So exciting!
Shipping
We use secure USPS Priority shipping for our US orders, which is included in your final cost, and UPS for international orders, which is an additional fee. Both are very reliable services, and we purchase insurance for all shipments. We’ll notify you when your ring ships with all tracking info, and follow-up to make sure you love your ring!
We hope this has answered your questions and shown you that designing a custom ring is really quite simple (especially when someone else is doing the hard work!). We'd love to share more and guide you through the process, so please don't hesitate to contact us by just hitting reply to this email, or clicking the button below. Lastly, check out our NEW website, it's gorgeous!
Be well!
Arn Krebs, Sue Freda &
The Arn Krebs Team