(pronunced "moe-coo-may gone-ay") With a team of skilled artisans, we ensure that not only will your ring be perfect, but it will also be created for you quickly...with a 3 week delivery time for most rings. Mokume gane is an ancient art of forging metals that has its origins in 17th century Japan. A Japanese artisan named Denbei Shoami developed mokume gane, and called the process "guri" after a type of woodworking popular in the region called guri-buri, where layers of red and black woods would be glued together, then carved through to show variations in coloring that allowed for unique designs. To achieve the same layering, Shoami layered copper, gold, and silver into billets, then fired them in a kiln until the metals fused. He then carved through the layers to develop patterns. Many of the pieces were used to adorn swords, and were highly prized for their beauty. The term "mokume gane" was originally one specific pattern, and translates as "wood-eye (burl) grain." It is characterized by circular waves. When the art of mokume gane was introduced to the United States in the 1970's, variations in nomenclature used in Japan were reduced and the term "mokume gane" became the general name for the art. Pattern will vary from ring to ring, just as carvings from wood have different patterns, depending on the way in which it was carved and how the layers contrast. Two or more rings made from the same billet would appear as though they were cut from the same cord of wood, and most of our wedding bands are created in this way. Our rings are made of different combinations of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and shakudo. Shakudo is a copper-gold alloy, where gold is 4-8% of the alloy. (This is 1 to 2 carat gold). Shakudo can be treated to hold a patina that ranges from black to deep purple.