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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. 

 

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.  

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 

We know choosing the details for your custom ring can be overwhelming, so many choices! So we wanted to put together a checklist of factors to consider when deciding on your ring design.

 

Ring Dimensions 

Ring size (if you aren't 100% sure on your size but have a general idea, we have a ring sizer service! More info here.)
Ring width.

Pattern and Palette
See all of our pattern and palette options here on our guide page! 
 
Stones (if applicable)
You can repurpose stones you already have (depending on suitability and their condition), or we are happy to source stones for you!
For rings we usually recommend certain stones over others, for more info on choosing stones check out this blog post. 

Specific likes and/or dislikes

Each mokume ring is a unique handmade piece, there will be variations in pattern, color, etc. Please let us know if you have specific preferences, not all factors are controllable (as is the inherent nature of Mokume Gane), but we can advise on which options would be best suited for what you're looking for.
It can be helpful to pick out a few example rings from our listings to show us what you like!

Timelines
Different patterns and designs have different wait times, some rings will require only a 6-8 week timeframe, while others can be booked out 6 months or more. 
Please let us know if you have a specific date you would need to have your order delivered by! Each order in our work queue is worked through one by one, so we offer an estimated completion window rather than a firm completion date. To guarantee delivery by a specific date requires a rush order (if we are able to accommodate it in our calendar at the time).

 
Returns

Please contact us before returning any items. Not all custom orders may be returned. 
Our return/restock policy