Oceanic Mokume Guri Bori Bypass Ring with Akoya Pearl

We love to find out how our customers came across Arn’s work, and how they were introduced to mokume gane, and often the answer is that they found mokume through an interest in damascus steel pieces!

The clients who find us through damascus ask what the difference between it and mokume gane are, and the main difference is the materials. Damascus is made with steel, while mokume gane is typically either combinations of base metals (copper, brass, nickel) or precious metals (golds, palladium, platinum, silver). The techniques used to make the billets are similar, and there’s also some cross over in patterning methods.

Another big difference in the visuals of the craft is the color palette. Damascus is primarily what we think of as black and white, while Mokume allows for a range of colors because it can employ gold and other precious metals in all its colors. This also accounts for some of the difference in cost between Damascus and mokume.

Arn particularly likes playing with pattern welding, a technique often seen in damascus pieces. While popular traditional mokume patterns (what we call Twist and Woodgrain) have a more organic, flowing look to them, pattern welding has a repeating style. These patterns still have a beautiful handmade touch, but are visibly more regulated, some even resembling decorative tile! They’re also typically forged style patterns, in which pattern is created in the assembly and stacking of the metals while they’re being forged together, while a lot of mokume gane patterns are made with twisting and carving of the stock.

Some of Arn’s pattern welded work:

And then Arn loves to take this pattern welding concept and push it towards more free flowing forms, finding ways to push and pull the patterned pieces and create something more naturalistic, but still with a satisfying repetition of shapes. This can be seen in Arn’s recent Feather pattern ring, which was created with these damascus style techniques, applied in precious metals using our Firestorm palette (red gold, yellow gold, palladium and silver).

Arn’s work is unique in that he is pushing the boundaries between these art forms and exploring new ground with pattern in mokume gane. Pioneering within this craft is both incredibly time consuming and technically challenging but the results are worth the effort.

Interested in seeing more of the Feather ring process? Check out this blog post!

Take a look at the process behind a favorite custom design of Arn’s! This is a version of Arn’s Cloud pattern, inspired by a sunset on the water at the beach, with the sands represented by the layer of palladium at the bottom edge of the ring. This customer provided a gorgeous multicolored sapphire that paired beautifully with the warm tones of our Fire palette ( red gold, yellow gold, silver) to really evoke that sunset lighting.

Interested in more process behind the scenes? Connect with Arn on socials!

• Instagram
• YouTube
• Facebook

A new installment of our video series is up on our YouTube channel! In this episode of making a mokume wedding ring, follow Arn through the process of continuing to form and shape the stock into a ring. Forging, pressing, annealing, and making preparations for the stone that will be set later!

The second installment of our new YouTube series is up! In this episode of making a mokume ring, early steps in patterning and shaping the metal billet!

Interested in more behind the scenes peeks? Follow us on Instagram!

Arn loves sharing his mokume making process and we’re starting a new series on our YouTube channel, taking you on the journey of making a custom ring! Subscribe and follow along to see the transformation from metal stock to finished piece! 

We know that designing your ring can feel daunting with so many options to choose from so we have put together this guide to explain the options.

Ordering Online~ Please see our design guide to choose your rings size, width, pattern, palette, and any stones or add ons that you might like. From there reach out to us and we can build you a quote, discuss timeline, and send an invoice for 50% deposit to get your order into our work queue.

Seeing Rings in Person~We make every piece to order so we don’t have a large collection of rings on hand, once the ring has been made and photographed its off to its new owner! We do have an intimate collection of already made rings that are ready to size and ship. These samples may not necessarily be the pattern, size or width that you are interested in but you’ll be able to see what metal colors look like in person and get a feel for Arn’s craftsmanship. You can choose which ring(s) you would like to see from our available now section which is the inventory we currently have in stock. You can find a link to our available rings here. If you would like to see any of these rings in person please know that our showroom operates on limited hours and is by appointment only. The fastest way to be in touch and to book an appointment is via email.

Showroom Hours of Availability

~by Appointment only~

9am – 2pm, M-F

Call us at: (401) 287-8050

Email us: info@arnkrebsmokume.com

Seeing Rings By Mail~ To see any of our available now rings by mail please reach out to us and let us know what you are interested in seeing. The cost of the Ring Sample mail program is $100-$300 depending on how many rings you would like to see. Up to 3 at ($100 per ring) This fee covers shipping and insurance and is non-refundable. If you decide to proceed with your order, we will apply $75 per ring towards your order. Rings may be kept for up to 48 hours. We ask for a copy of your driver’s license and your credit card info to authorize the full retail value of the rings in the event that they are not returned to us with 48 hours. Please be mindful that these rings are your responsibility while they are in your possession.