In the Mokume Gane technique, different colored metals are alternately layered in order to weld under pressure and heat in the absence of oxygen (diffusion welding). The welded laminated block is usually further processed (e.g. by torsion, drilling, chiselling, filing, rolling) to achieve a decorative pattern. The technology can best be compared to the damask of knife blades.
The word Mokume Gane comes from Japanese and means wood grain. There are several ways to create jewelry from Mokume Gane material. For example, rings can be worked seamlessly out of a rod and turned over, or the material can be rolled out thinly and laminated.
For the wedding rings in the video, I decided that both rings should not only be made of the same type (star pattern), but also from the same pattern. So a part of one ring is also a part of the other ring: "Without the pattern that you wear as a ring, my pattern could not have come about." Both patterns are mutually dependent and thus result in a whole. Wedding rings can hardly be more romantic. The solder joint resulting from this type of production is transferred almost unrecognizable into the pattern during the subsequent 3D engraving.
Inner rings can fulfill different functions in the Mokume Gane technique. For example, rings can become lighter (e.g. with platinum rings) or thicker or, with a very thin Mokume layer, more stable. In the video shown, the inner rings should present a filigree engraving inside the rings on a single color surface.
Other possible material combinations: dark palladium 500 with bright white sterling silver. Or pink gold with yellow and/or white gold. Particularly noble (and heavy): 960 platinum with 916 gold. Of course, traditional copper alloys such as Shibuichi or Shokudo are also possible (even if they are rarely used as rings due to possible metal abrasion on the fingers).
The interior engravings mentioned here in the text and in the video fall into the privacy category and cannot be seen in the pictures.
I hope you enjoy watching and thank you for your interest
Bernd Alexander Mansholt
21 июл 2021
