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We offer two, three, and four stock metal combinations that use 14kt Yellow Gold, 14kt Red Gold, 14kt White Gold, Sterling Silver, and Palladium. My Mokume Gane jewelry involves any combination of these five metals, as the listings will picture. Custom combinations, or upgrades like 18k gold, can be done for an additional fee.

Any piece with Sterling Silver can also receive an oxidized finish, which is a surface treatment that darkens/blackens the silver. This treatment will wear off, but you can oxidize your own Mokume Gane jewelry at home and there are instructions on how to do this at the bottom of this guide.

Please note that we do not offer copper in our metal combinations. As much as we would like to offer copper in our metal palettes, copper unfortunately corrodes rapidly. A common occurrence you might’ve noticed after wearing copper jewelry is a green stain on your skin. Unfortunately, mixing copper and silver will cause the destruction of your ring and we want them to last you a lifetime!

All of my metals are responsibly sourced.

All of this info and more can be found on our guide page : https://www.susanfredastudios.com/pages/about-mokume-gane

We just want to take a moment to thank all of our loyal supporters for helping to make 2018 our best year yet!

Here is a shot of Sues' work installed in a clients home. oooh aaahhh. Arn is working on a new line of mokume made with luscious new metals and featuring some killer gemstones. Sue is working on a new body of porcelain and glass work which she will be exhibiting in a two person show in February at the Chazan Gallery with artist Allison Paschke. Stay tuned for dates and opening times! 

Mokume Gane with a twist....We customize almost all of our pieces to deliver something completely unique and one of a kind.  Clients call with ideas or images and we get started working out the details.  Many customers would like to remember something special in their lives.  The birth of a child, honeymoon landscape, a special location where they met... there are so many memorable parts of life and we are here to capture them for you into something that can be worn close to your heart.  

We often start with family heirlooms and work them into new treasured pieces or we  start fresh with metal and gems of your choosing.  We truly love making these special pieces for you and we are proud that you trust is us to honor your cherished moments.  

Who are we? We are a husband and wife team, a RISD artist and a skilled jeweler who are living the dream...making our art and making a living. Its hard work but worth it all!  Read our reviews or browse our work to get a feel for the work we create.  We look forward to working with you! 

We are so lucky to have such a great crew of friends and family, far and wide, who help to make our business a success!   We wanted to send out a thank, you along with some faces to see, of the people behind our studio practice and our daily life.  

Thank You !

www.susanfredastudios.com

http://www.susanfredastudios.com

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.