Making mokume gane is an incredibly complicated process that is truly a labor of love. There are a handful of quality mokume gane artists in the world that are currently making mokume gane rings. The community is small, dedicated, and inspired. The reason for this is that it takes countless hours of practice and a great amount of hand and jewelry skills and tools to create these works of art.
When you buy pre made mokume stock, it has been produced by one of these makers who sell it in bulk to jewelry supply companies.
Most mokume artists offer a small range of palettes and patterns and the reason for this is that each change in design or modification requires more and more precision, skill and time. With each new metal combination the melting point, forging point, firing schedule, and more needs to change accordingly. For each of Arn’s custom orders he must calculate and take into account the metals needed, color, patterning, stones and settings (if applicable), and any other additional design elements. Each order is individually worked out and given the needed attention and time needed.
Arn has become widely recognized as one of the best mokume artists working today. His work is in high demand with a waitlist of 3-9 months depending on the complexity of the design. We are so incredibly grateful that Arn is able to do what he loves and is experiencing such success and recognition for his work.
We can’t thank you enough for your support!
When you order with us we place you into our work queue and we order your metal and stones asap. The time between your initial order and when the ring is started is dependent on how long it takes to complete the orders that have already been placed, it varies depending on how booked up we are at the time.
Each order is different, and there are also vital day to day studio operations and tasks that have to be factored in as well. So we aren’t able to know precisely when your order will be complete, but we do understand that a general estimated completion date is needed, especially as many of our customers are intending to use the rings for weddings or other planned special occasions. This is why we give an estimated window instead of a firm date. Because we’re dealing with a large number of very intricate orders and we are a team of 3 we don’t correspond often during the wait time and will only reach out once your ring is complete with photos to show you. We are not able to offer process photos due to the nature of our shop and in the interest of not disrupting the work process, but if you are interested in seeing glimpses of the studio and work area please check out our Instagram.
We hope this gives a picture of the inner workings of the studio, making mokume and our practice, and we thank you all for your ongoing support and love for Arn and his work.
Interested in a custom order? Here’s some info on getting started!