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Many couples come to us to design their mokume engagement ring. The first thing to know is that a mokume gane ring is different from a traditional ring in that mokume holds value.

Rings, and especially wedding rings, take on a lot of daily wear, so choosing a strong gemstone is crucial. We work with diamonds, moissanites and sapphires in our mokume rings, as these stones are the strongest and most beautiful. We’ve put together this guide for you to help you understand how gemstones rank in hardness. Softer stones can be great for other jewelry like earrings and necklaces, or even special occasion rings that won’t be worn day to day. 

What is the Mohs Hardness Scale for Gemstones?

When selecting the perfect gemstone for your jewelry, especially in rings, it can be helpful to consult the Mohs Hardness Scale. This fundamental scale, developed in 1812 by Friedrich Mohs, provides a comparative measure of a mineral's resistance to scratching. The Mohs Scale characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder materials to scratch softer ones. It serves as a guideline for determining the durability and maintenance needs of gemstones, which can be key information when choosing stones for jewelry that will be worn daily like wedding and engagement rings. Friedrich Mohs, a German mineralogist, introduced the scale to provide a straightforward method of comparing mineral hardness. Although modern tools and methods can measure hardness more precisely, the Mohs scale remains a popular reference for its simplicity and ease of use.

The scale is composed of 10 reference minerals, each representing a specific level of hardness:

1. Talc

2. Gypsum

3. Calcite

4. Fluorite

5. Apatite

6. Orthoclase Feldspar

7. Quartz

8. Topaz

9. Corundum (Sapphire)

10. Diamond

Each mineral can scratch those below it on the scale. For example, a quartz gemstone, rated at 7, can scratch anything with a hardness of 6 or below but will be scratched by topaz, corundum, and diamond.

For rings, especially wedding bands that are worn consistently, selecting a gemstone with a higher Mohs rating ensures longevity and resistance to everyday wear and tear. Diamonds and Sapphires (Corundum) are very strong stones, their popularity for wedding jewelry can be attributed to how well they wear, as well as their beauty. 

The Strongest Stones

Diamonds, rated at 10 on the Mohs scale, are renowned for their unparalleled hardness and brilliance, and have been a top choice for wedding and engagement rings for many years. Their ability to resist scratches ensures that they maintain their sparkle and shape throughout a lifetime. Due to their incredible physical qualities, Diamonds have also been revered by a multitude of cultures throughout history, from being symbols of status to even being believed to possess special properties. Diamonds were often linked with gold, possibly due to the joint occurrence of diamonds with quartzite, quartz veins and an occasional occurrence of gold in them.

Their incredible ability to catch and refract light, creating that characteristic sparkle has always been captivating. They have come to be seen as symbols of strength, purity and endurance. They are also the April birthstone, and symbolize a sixty year anniversary.

Corundum minerals, which include sapphires and rubies, rate at 9 on the Mohs scale. These stones are excellent choices for rings due to their toughness and vibrant colors. Sapphires are available in a wide range of hues, from classic blue to pink and yellow, offering versatile options for personalizing jewelry. We also particularly love pairing sapphires with mokume gane, a stone in a complimentary color can be perfectly suited to the beautiful mix of metal colors and patterns that characterize our mokume rings. Traditionally sapphires symbolize nobility, truth, sincerity, and faithfulness. They have often been associated with spirituality and connection to the celestial. Sapphire is the birthstone for September, and symbolizes 45th wedding anniversaries.

Another lesser known but amazing option for wedding jewelry is the moissanite. It rates at roughly a 9.5 on the Mohs scale. It was originally discovered by Henri Moissan while examining samples from a meteor crater in Arizona in 1893.  Most moissanite available today is lab grown, as it is made of an incredibly rare naturally occuring material, whose origins have been traced to meteorites. Moissanites have a beautiful sparkling quality, evoking the material’s origins of outer space. They are often visually indistinguishable from diamonds, but being lab grown, are sourced sustainably and are a much more affordable option. 

Understanding the Mohs Hardness Scale is invaluable for anyone involved in jewelry design or purchasing. By considering the hardness of gemstones, you can select stones that not only complement your aesthetic preferences but also suit your lifestyle and durability needs. Our mokume gane rings are made at heirloom quality, crafted with care and skill to ensure they last you this lifetime and beyond. Choosing stones that will stand the test of time like mokume gane itself will help you create jewelry that is not only stunning but also built to last, ensuring that your pieces remain cherished for years to come. If you’d like to start your design journey with us, contact us here! 

Mokume Gane rings are the perfect material for unique wedding rings, and a wonderful combination of symbolism and high quality craftsmanship that will stand the test of time.

The process of making mokume itself is at its’ core about creating a strong bond. Taking sheets of different precious metals such as various colored golds, palladium, and silver, and forging a connection between them with heat and pressure to create a billet. This part of the process is the foundation for the ring, requiring great skill and attention. 

Mokume Gane rings are not only beautiful but also durable. Like a traditional style band, the precious metals wear well and are made to be heirloom quality. We believe in making pieces that will last a lifetime and beyond. 

Each mokume ring is carefully handcrafted, so each is unique! This quality is perfect for wedding rings, as even within a matched set, each ring will have small details that make it one of a kind. 

Each person can choose designs to both suit their own tastes and style but also to match with features of their partner's ring, keeping a strong connection to the other. For example, choosing to have the same pattern for both rings, but each picking a different palette (or vice versa).

Finish is also important to consider, as oxidizing makes a distinct visual difference with darkened outlines. Two rings made in the same palette can even look different, if one person prefers a lighter look than the other they can choose the non oxidized option.

If both wedding rings are made in the same palette, they will be cut from the same billet, further symbolizing the bond between the two rings and the relationship between the people wearing them. If the same pattern is chosen, the rings will be matched to each other in a unique design that only you two share. 

Our mokume gane rings are each lovingly made by hand. They are beautiful, unique, and made to last and to be handed down for generations to come. 

Sometimes customers come to us with beautifully complex ideas, designs based on special locations they have been to, or elements that have been calling to them. We love the art form of mokume and its vast possibilities in both palette and pattern.  Arn especially loves to make exquisitely custom and exploratory work that would be impossible to recreate, making the ring even fully of an object d’ art. When the visions our clients have in mind for their rings fall outside of our stocked palette and pattern options, we create custom billets.  This is an opportunity to personalize the design even further to their individual tastes. 

The Billet

What’s a billet? A billet is the material that we create to make the rings from. It is layered precious metals bonded by a meticulous process of heat and pressure. Some makers of mokume purchase mokume billets from an outside source, but we make them from scratch, which allows for the greatest range of custom options. The sky's the limit and our craft inhabits the highest realm of making.

Why Custom?

Mokume by nature is inherently wild, we find this is key to the beauty of this art form, no two rings are ever going to be exactly alike, by both the nature of handmade work and of mokume gane itself. 

With this in mind, variations in the appearance of our designs are to be expected, especially with the color palettes. So many elements affect this, of course the patterns, but also the size and width of the ring. For clients with a strong preference regarding the look of the colors (which metal color or type is most dominant in the rings, the thicknesses of the various layers), a custom billet can be a great option.

Custom billets do come with added cost  and sometimes wait time, and we wanted to take you through the process to show the diligent and detailed work that goes into them. Each custom billet is assembled from scratch and created specifically to order.

The Process

We thought we might explain the process of making the custom billet so that our clients can see what goes into this endeavor. 

1. Determining and ordering the metals - this begins during the design consultation process, choosing the metals and proportions, and then special ordering the necessary material.

2. Cutting the metal sheets to size - the metals arrive in thin sheets, and are cut down to the correct measurements to be made into a billet.

3. Cleaning the sheets - each piece of metal is carefully cleaned (this is essential for bonding the metals). 

4. Pressing the billet - the sheets are stacked and pressed with the hydraulic press to create an initial bond.

5. Binding the billet - the billet is held together with binding wire to keep everything in place while firing.

6. Firing the billet - the billet is either torched or fired in the kiln.

7. Hot pressing the billet - straight from firing, still hot, the billet is pressed again in the hydraulic press.

8. Trimming the billet - the very edges of the billet are trimmed off to make everything perfectly square again.

9. Rolling and forging the billet to stock dimensions - the billet is gradually worked and shaped down to ring stock (it starts to resemble a long stick rather than a brick) so it’s at the correct dimensions to be made into a ring!

Making custom mokume pieces is always a labor intensive and demanding process, but we truly love the work and the opportunity to share this amazing craft with others.