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.

Arn’s lifelong immersion in nature and adventure, his education as an artist, and his years of experience making fine jewelry as both a designer and a master craftsperson all come together in mokume-gane.

Arn received his BFA in Metalsmithing from Montana State University, and his MFA from the University of Hawaii. Then, he worked at Skylight Jewelers in Boston, Massachusetts as a bench jeweler and goldsmith. His Mokume Gane rings and jewelry stand out as superb examples of this ancient art form and as exquisitely elegant examples of modern design.

Arn grew up in the western slopes of Colorado, among a family of mountain climbers, environmentalists, and adventurers. Steeped in the culture of DIY exploration, he and his family entirely constructed the family’s off-the-grid, “Earth Ship” home in the early 90’s (pictured here).

Arn learned at an early age to test the limits of the physical world with his explorations into athletic pursuits: skiing and mountain biking, construction and art-making. Arn is a highly-skilled and proficient multi-media artist that includes a background in glassblowing, ceramics, woodworking and metal smithing. 



Arn is endlessly inspired by the repeating patterns he sees in nature. He has found a particular love for the ring form as it is the most represented image in nature and is ripe with symbolism. Arn works to bring this beauty to his work through his deep appreciation of color and pattern. Arn draws patterns day and night and works with his materials to make the metal represent what he sees in his mind. The process is part alchemy and part engineering, and it seems that Arn is indeed marrying the two. 


It is important to Arn that the ethics of equality and environmental care are attended to within our business and that all of our products are made by hand. Arn strives to deliver a product that will be cherished for many generations to come and that represents the best we can offer aesthetically, materially and design-wise.

Mokume is a beautiful craft dating back to 17th century Japan for use in sword-making, characterized by a woodgrain like appearance of many layers of different metals fused together to make one piece. This specialized technique of successfully forging together sheets of metal into one billet so that they are bonded and structurally sound requires great skill and years of experience as a metalsmith. 

And with this method of creating and patterning rings by hand, either through forging or carving, there is an inherent variability to how the appearance of the ring will ultimately turn out! One of the things Arn loves about mokume and the practice of making it is that not all aspects of how the final ring will look is controllable, which makes each one truly unique. We know that you love this aspect of mokume as well.  Nature never makes the same thing twice and this is one of the most striking and under-recognized aspects of what we attribute beauty to. Much like life, handmade things are unpredictable and beautiful.  

When you order your ring with us there a few paths to consider. We can help you unravel the work of choosing by walking you through the process a bit here.  We offer Custom and  Bespoke options. 

To help you visualize, here’s an example. These two rings are both 7mm wide, made in our Firestorm palette (14kt red gold, 14kt yellow gold, palladium and sterling silver) and Twist pattern, with a low dome profile and etched and oxidized finish. There is no difference in the metals used or the proportion of the metals in the billet used for each ring, but they each have little details and differences that make them unique and distinct from one another!

Firestorm in particular of all of our billets has a range of variation that can be more noticeable and less controllable, as it is a four color combination, rather than two or three. As in its name, this palette is meant to be a whirlwind of color all mixed together to echo the complex and mesmerizing varieties of nature. 

Custom vs. Bespoke 

Our bespoke options are studio-approved alterations to existing AKM designs. For example, say you love the pattern but would like a different stock palette that we offer; while custom orders are designed from the ground up! This requires much more communication time as well as time at the bench, than a bespoke alteration.  

Here are a few examples of custom designs. This can include custom patterns designed by Arn, a custom billet different from our usual stock options, a custom setting for an unusual stone, the possibilities are wide open!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful February, and we look forward to creating with you!

Much Love,

Arn Krebs Mokume

The Flow pattern is one of Arn’s signature designs, an original forged pattern that he’s continued to hone over the years. One of Arn’s favorite aspects of working with mokume is creating and developing new patterns and exploring the possibilities this beautiful and complex craft can offer.

This pattern is characterized, as many forged patterns are, by a more linear look. Flow evokes the imagery of moving water or air, with long lines wrapping around the ring, but also still referencing the “woodgrain” style of more traditional mokume by including knots dispersed throughout. These knots can be either solid metal, in a color that matches the palette of the rest of the ring , or they can be patterned.

One row of knots works best for a narrower ring, we’d recommend this for widths from 3mm up to 6mm.

Two rows of knots looks best for the mid widths, around 4mm wide up to about 8mm.

And then for very wide rings, we’d recommend doing 3 rows of knots, from 6mm to 10mm.

There is overlap in the different widths and number of rows of knots, as Flow can have many different appearances and it will depend on your preference. Because we use the same stock billets, the more rows of knots, the more the layers in the ring are compressed. If you prefer a finer look to the patterning, you may prefer more knots on a more narrow ring, whereas if you’d like the pattern to be more bold you would want a wider ring.

The other elements to consider are knot type and knot placement! We’ve touched on solid vs patterned knots, but with patterned knots, there are two types.

We have upright knots, which contrast the direction of the patterning on the rest of the ring:

Or angled knots, which tend to blend in more with the rest of the flow pattern:

The last consideration is knot placement! When Arn is arranging the knots for the ring, he can place them more evenly, or in more of an organic, staggered way. Placing the knots more staggered creates extra movement in the patterning and a more natural look.

With all of this said, just keep in mind that many of these factors are customizable! Flow especially is a very versatile type of pattern that can suit a variety of looks and design preferences. One of the beautiful and exciting parts of mokume is how even small changes can create something entirely new and unique. Arn loves exploring new ideas and the process of creating different patterns, so if you are interested in customizing an existing design we have please just inquire! We can also explore adding stones, pictured here are a few examples we feel work beautifully with this patterning.

Arn recently completed some beautiful custom orders featuring stones, so we wanted to share these and talk about different options for stone setting and showing off a statement stone!

When we think of a “traditional” engagement/wedding style, the prong setting easily comes to mind. While this is indeed a classic look, there are some downsides to a prong setting. One thing to keep in mind is that they tend to be higher profile and more vulnerable, making it more likely to get snagged or bumped. Prongs can also weaken over time, and usually require re-tipping to keep a stone secure. Considering this, we’d like to show you a few more hardy and unique (but still elegant) bezel setting styles that can be made to last just like the mokume itself!

A great option for larger and uniquely shaped stones is a bezel setting! Here we have a few different takes on that style that complement the aesthetic of the mokume while also providing protection and support for these stones.

This is a partial mokume bezel, it can also be done as a full bezel, surrounding the stone on all sides. It is created from a piece of mokume stock just like the main ring, and helps the setting feel like an extension of the band with the continuation of mokume patterning!

Here is an example of another partial bezel, but shown in a solid metal that complements the palette of the band. Bezels are also great for more unique stone shapes such as this elongated hexagon shaped sapphire! They can be custom made to wrap around different stones, and as shown here they can be done in the partial style to still show off more of the stone if desired.

Lastly, shown here is an example of our Mesa style setting. This is an excellent option if you are wanting something similar to a flush setting but with a larger stone! We can flush set stones up to 3mm wide, as any larger are usually too deep for the thickness of our bands. This setting looks great with our Guri Bori pattern as shown here, inspired by natural landforms of the western US.

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!