Check Out This Little Video of Arn Creating a Mokume Ring! July 23 2017, 0 Comments

A recent video we edited of Arn working on a mokume ring in the studio.  

https://youtu.be/liO0Uj2h4tc

What Is Mokume? July 15 2017, 0 Comments

Mokume gane is an ancient metalworking technique in which layers of precious metal are alloyed together with heat and pressure, then twisted, carved, and forged to create beautiful organic patterns. Mokume Gane translates is Japanese and translates to "wood eye metal" which reflects the wood grain patterning admired by the Japanese craftsmen. This rare metal lamination process is similar to Damascus and was developed and used by Japanese swordsmiths in the 17th century to adorn samurai swords.

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 wood grain pattern, the twist pattern, and the droplet patterning. Forged patterns include end grain pattern, wave pattern, flow pattern, bookmatched endgrain, as well as others.

My mokume patterns are made in various combinations of yellow gold, red gold, silver, and palladium. In my many years of making mokume I’ve developed the skillset to make bands that resemble wood grain, topographical canyons, oceanic waves, and other natural formations. I take pride in the custom nature of the work and offer the widest selection of mokume patterns that you will see at any shop. Arn chooses not to line his rings with silver or gold and rather to let the beautiful wood grain patterning of the mokume shine through to the inside of the ring.  The integrity of the metal is featured this way and assures that you are getting a quality ring, not a thin sheet of mokume hidden by a liner.  The texture and feel of mokume is something to be treasured. 

Please note that all mokume patterns are unique and so the ring you take home will vary from those pictured. The images below and in the listings are meant to give an example of our different style options and quality of the ring, but please keep in mind that every item is individually made by hand and will inevitably vary from other rings in the same pattern category. 

The Yin and Yang of an Art Couple May 09 2017, 0 Comments

New E X P A N D E D space at Gallery 4 June 26 2014, 0 Comments

Gallery 4, our home base for the past 10 years is going through changes…….partner Bob Smith has retired and Arn and I have taken over his half of what we know as Gallery 4.

 It's sort of like exhaling to be in such a big space. I feel like our work can breath too. Lot's of space to really see the work.

 I'm inspired to work bigger and have begun making molds to cast glass into.

Arn is making the most beautiful rose cut diamond rings in the archaic style of 22 karat wrought gold.  

 Soon we will have an opening and you will all receive an invite to see the new lovelys. 

Mokume is………. February 04 2014, 0 Comments

Extremely hard to make!!  Especially when it is made entirely by hand as Arn does in our Tiverton Studio. It is a labor of love as each ring is exquisitely crafted and  designed for optimum beauty and design. 

Arn chooses not to line his rings with silver or gold and rather to let the beautiful wood grain patterning of the mokume shine through to the inside of the ring.  The integrity of the metal is featured this way and assures that you are getting a quality ring, not a thin sheet of mokume hidden by a liner.  The texture and feel of mokume is something to be treasured. 

~Mokume gane is an ancient metalworking technique in which layers of precious metal are alloyed together with heat and pressure then twisted, carved and forged to create beautiful organic patterns.  The metals we use include gold, silver, copper, platinum and palladium.  

Mokume Gane translates from Japanese as "wood eye metal" which reflects the wood grain patterning admired by the Japanese craftsmen. This rare metal lamination process is similar to damascus and was developed and used by Japanese swordsmiths in the 17th century for the adornment of samurai swords.

Valentines Open House February 04 2014, 0 Comments

It's a winter wonderland outside and we have been working away in the studio, stopping to admire the snow and ice and be inspired by the crazy beauty of nature. 

We would like to invite you to come and share in a viewing of our latest works;  Lighting, sculpture, and new jewels for your valentine. 

This Saturday at Gallery 4 & Susan Freda Studios!! Open House from 1-4pm!

New work! Sales, refreshments and beautiful drinks to be had. 

We are so touched by these recent reviews…. February 01 2014, 0 Comments

We recently came across some heartwarming reviews of our work on weddingwire.com and onewed.com. We are touched and honored to have been a part of these folks experience of creating their wedding rings.  We wanted to share this love fest!

"The jewelry is exquisite, the artistry unique and the service was heartwarming. I walked into their studio and was so impressed by the singularity of each piece. The rings I had made for my husband and I have been showcase pieces through our many travels with the same response to the different style and, again, the uniqueness. I highly recommend the experience of this studio"

-A Happy Customer 

"If we could give more than 5 stars we would. Arn and Sue have been so wonderful to work with as we prepare for our special day. With the first phone call, we knew this was going to be a great experience. Sue called back quickly after we left a message and we were able to meet Arn at their beautiful Tiverton studio within hours to talk about having wedding rings made. My partner and I have been together for 30 years; because of the new marriage equality laws in RI, we decided to tie the knot officially before friends and family. We have been wearing simple gold bands we exchanged decades ago, privately. Arn is incredibly talented and a joy to work with. He listens well, communicates warmly and clearly. By talking things over we ended up using our current rings to make new ones! This was very meaningful to us. Arn melted the gold rings and reformed them with a hammered design, adding diamonds we brought which had been passed down in our families. Through the process we met a few times and always left smiling. We were amazed with the beautiful rings Arn crafted for us and we will cherish them as the symbols of our vows forever. Highly, highly recommended!"

-A & M

"Prior to finding Sue and Arn, I had known for a long time that I would want a wedding/engagement ring that was truly unique. I spent a considerable amount of time looking for independent jewelers and artists to find someone who could work with me to design and create a custom ring. 

In a stroke of luck, I walked into Sue and Arn's studio one day and instantly fell in love with their artistry and craftmanship. Not only was their work absolutely stunning, unique, and incredibly well-made, but they are both such warm, open and down-to-earth people. I made many trips to the gallery over the course of many months to work on the ring. We exchanged ideas and ended up with a design that was a combination of Sue's previous work and some of my own inspiration/creativity. Throughout the whole process, Sue and Arn were thorough, helpful, professional, and inspiring. They put a great deal of effort into making sure the ring fit right, that the design worked, that the ring fit my needs and would be durable and last, and overall that I was happy. 

In the end, I have an absolutely beautiful piece of art for a wedding ring, and I am thrilled to support Sue and Arn's work. There is a lot of positive energy in this ring, obviously in the love that it represents between myself and my partner, but also the wonderful energy and inspiration from Sue and Arn themselves. I would recommend them in a heartbeat. They are simply AMAZING!"

~Leanna

"Working with Sue and Arn to create both our engagement and wedding rings along with my necklace and earrings was such a dream! Prior to our engagement, my (now) husband and I just happened to be visiting the studio out of which she works in order to see a polaroid exhibit. We stumbled upon Sue and Arn's jewelry and were struck by how unique it was. We both knew that we didn't want anything big, blingy, or traditional for our rings; instead, we wanted something simple, special, and a little different and their work fit the bill. The intricate twisting wire of Sue's work really struck a cord with my romantic vision and my husband liked the iron work and unique mokume rings that Arn creates. 

We emailed Sue a few days later and she was extremely responsive. Several trips after that, we had selected and resized our engagement rings, which Sue and Arn already had in the store, and then had wedding bands designed to look like the engagement rings but with different materials (Arn was very knowledgeable about the materials and willing to answer any questions we had). Once we got married, we stopped wearing the engagement rings and only wore the wedding rings. Sue and Arn are going to work with us to re-purpose our engagement rings and do something else with them. 

I also worked with Sue to select a necklace and earrings to wear with my wedding dress -- and I've worn them after the wedding, as well! I selected a beautiful, intricate gold twisted wire necklace with small fresh-water pearls and matching dangling earrings. I love all of her work and will definitely be buying from Sue for years to come! 

Sue and Arn are warm and wonderful people who are dedicated to their craft and to their customers, whom they treat like friends. My husband and I got to know both of them, met their lovely son, and most certainly call them friends. It was a really special way to start our commitment to each other. I would recommend them and their unique work 100%!"

~Meredith