Red Gold Mokume Gane Pendant

When it comes to wedding bands, many men are seeking new options that stand out from the usual simple gold or platinum rings. Today’s grooms want something that reflects and allows them to express their personal style and interests. We want to introduce you to a “new” old art form called Mokume Gane. A niche that is gaining popularity, offering both an earthy aesthetic and environmental significance.

The Rise of Mokume Wedding Bands

The trend towards alternative men’s wedding bands is growing, as more individuals desire a ring that tells their unique story and reflects their ideas and interests. Traditional metals such as gold and platinum possess a timeless charm, and using these precious materials to blend their classic qualities with vibrant colors and intriguing patterns offers an enhanced appeal. Mixing metals to create visually striking color palettehttps://arnkrebs.com/product/bold-mokume-gane-band-in-twist-pattern/s, and bringing old world skills and techniques to the modern age.

Artisan Craftsmanship: Mokume Gane

One of the most fascinating alternatives in the realm of unique wedding bands is Mokume Gane, a Japanese metalworking technique that produces a wood grain pattern. The term “Mokume Gane” translates to “wood grain metal,” and its’ intricate designs are achieved by layering and bonding different colored metals. This process creates a one-of-a-kind pattern that can be customized and offers an entire world of possibilities for design.

The Process of Mokume Gane

Crafting a Mokume Gane ring is a detailed, time-intensive process that demands both precision and skill. The metals— in our studio we use combinations of high karat golds, palladium and silver – are fused under high pressure and temperature. The bonded metals are then painstakingly manipulated to reveal the layers, resulting in a mesmerizing pattern. Each piece is as unique as a fingerprint, making it a true testament to craftsmanship.

Customization: Crafting a Personal Narrative

Custom wedding rings offer the opportunity to incorporate elements that hold personal significance. This ring, for example, was a custom ordered ring, where the pattern has been specifically designed to resemble a map of a hiking trail, a location of great sentimental importance to the couple. When so many elements – the metal combinations, the patterns, the shape of the band itself – are able to be personalized, it’s possible to create truly one of a kind pieces that represent both the individual and the bond shared with a partner.

Incorporating Gemstones

While gemstones are traditionally associated with women’s rings, they are becoming increasingly popular in men’s wedding bands as well. Unconventional choices like black diamonds, multicolor sapphires, diamond crystals, and more, can add a touch of color and intrigue. These stones can be set into the band or used as an accent to create a striking contrast with the metal.

Shown here are two different rings made in Arn’s Guri Bori pattern, one with small diamonds that have been set flush into the ring and placed organically around the band for just a hint of sparkle. The other has a smoky gray raw diamond crystal set in his Mesa style, designed to look like the stone is in the process of emerging from the earth.

Ethical and Sustainable Choices

In today’s conscientious world, many couples are opting for wedding bands that align with their ethical and environmental values. Choosing rings made from recycled metals and other sustainably sourced materials is a way to honor those commitments.

Recycled Metals

Using recycled metals lowers the demand for newly mined materials and are an excellent option for eco-conscious consumers. These metals are refined to the same purity as newly mined metals, ensuring that the quality of the ring is uncompromised.

Fair Trade and Conflict-Free Diamonds

For those incorporating diamonds into their wedding bands, selecting fair trade and conflict-free stones is paramount. This ensures that the gemstones are sourced responsibly without exploitation or environmental harm. We also encourage the use of stones from heirloom pieces, in addition to being a great sustainable choice, using heirloom stones can add and extra sentimental touch.

Embracing Individuality in Wedding Bands

The world of men’s wedding bands is evolving, offering a wealth of unique alternatives to traditional rings. With the elements of innovative materials, artisan craftsmanship like Mokume Gane, and personalized customization, there is a perfect option for every groom. As you begin this journey, consider what resonates with your personal style and values, and choose a ring that not only signifies your commitment but also tells your story.

Remember that the best choice is one that aligns with your personality, lifestyle, and values, creating a lasting symbol of your partnership.

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.

Flow is one of Arn’s specialty forged patterns! This is one of his most complicated patterns, so he wanted to document some of the process to show you how he brings it to life. Come along on the journey from stock to ring!

Some assembly steps, those little rods will be the knots, and the flat stock will be the linear part of the mokume pattern running around the ring!

Here Arn is torch firing the stack to fuse everything together:

And then it’s over to the press to compress the stack, check out that satisfying squash!

Here’s what the stock for the ring looks like reduced down: 

And Arn continues to shape the stock into the dimensions for a ring:

Here he is etching the silver: 

And oxidizing the silver:

And the final reveal!

Arn just completed this beautiful tension set style ring! We love tension settings, they create such a fantastical illusion of the stone floating. Arn documented his process in creating this design, from stock billet to forming and patterning, to setting the stone and finishing the ring.

This ring also features one of Arn’s signature patterns, Guri Bori, inspired by the natural landforms and topography of the western US. The added thickness needed for this style of setting really helps to create that mountainous look!

We have noticed many questions lately regarding the quality and longevity of mokume rings that contain silver, so we wanted to take some time to talk about why we choose to include silver in our mokume palettes, and the benefits this metal brings to creating beautiful and heirloom quality rings.

One of the primary reasons we use silver is for visual contrast! Silver is able to be either the lightest or darkest color in a metal combination, and either option contrasts extremely well against the golds and palladium we use in our palettes.

Shown below here is the same ring, made in our Firestorm palette, but with two different finishes. It’s amazing how different a ring can look just by darkening the silver layers with oxidation! The silver layers go from practically white to almost black in color.
Read more about our different finishes in this blog post.

Silver is also very ductile, it has great bonding and forging characteristics, both of which are very beneficial in making strong and stable mokume billets!

One of the core values of our business are to make mokume as affordable as possible for as many people as we can. We want to create high quality pieces at a reasonable price and keep mokume accessible when possible. Using silver layers helps greatly in lowering the production costs as opposed to making solely all gold mokume.

Will the silver layers oxidize/tarnish on their own?

No, with regular wear the silver should not oxidize on its own, silver actually only will change color if left to sit for extended periods of time or if exposed to chemicals like sulfur or chlorine! Well water may contain sulfur, so that would be something to watch for, but if your ring were to accidentally get oxidized it’s very easy to remove. Any commercial silver cleaner can easily take it right off.

The silver layers also do not compromise the structural integrity of the ring or affect the wear. It takes more than a lifetime of wear to truly wear down metal enough to compromise a ring, and this applies to precious metals like gold too. Silver wears very well, and the silver in our rings is completely nickel free, as nickel sensitivity/allergy is very common, even often leading to people thinking they have a silver allergy, but really the culprit is the nickel content!

If you’d still prefer a silver free ring, we do offer all gold palettes! We have our Blaze and Cinders palettes, which are combinations of 18kt Yellow Gold, 14kt Red Gold and 14kt Palladium White Gold.

We also offer custom billets if you want to create your own combination!

We offer a few different options for the finish of your mokume gane ring, and each offers a different look and quality. One of these options is oxidation, where the silver layers in a ring are darkened to increase the contrast between the metal colors! It’s great for those who want a bold, high contrast look, and makes the patterning stand out more. However, there are some things to keep in mind if you decide you would like this finish, because while the beauty of mokume jewelry is that it is incredibly long lasting and low maintenance, this particular finish does require a little bit of upkeep. It’s a surface treatment, so it will wear off with time, though how long it lasts can vary widely depending upon your daily lifestyle and your body chemistry. 

We also always recommend going with an etched and oxidized finish rather than just oxidized. The etching doesn’t make the oxidation permanent, but it does a lot to help it stick around longer (and it also helps add even more contrast to the mokume patterning, so it’s a win-win)! Etching makes the silver layers in the ring sit lower from the surface providing some wear protection, without this the oxidation will wear off very quickly. 

Not to worry though, there are options to renew your oxidized finish and keep it looking fresh when the surface treatment wears off! You can use Liver of Sulfur gel (just follow the instructions on the container, and we can point you toward what to buy if needed). Or you can send your ring back to us for re-oxidation and we’ll get your ring looking good as new!