The Art of Mokume Gane & Handcrafted Jewelry
Each handcrafted piece is a work of art, custom built to capture and express the meaning behind the moment, love story, or memories that you hold dear. Every mokume gane ring, wedding band or handcrafted jewelry piece begins its journey focused on you.
It begins with conversation, inspiration and my commitment to crafting something personal to cherish for a lifetime. Whether you're seeking a symbol for marriage, a custom engagement ring, or a meaningful heirloom, your piece is crafted with the precision of a metalsmith and the heart of an artist.
At Debra Tapian Arts, each piece is forged in-house, carved by hand, and refined into a one-of-a-kind mokume gane ring, wedding band, or custom piece that reflects the individuality of the wearer.
Why Choose a Mokume Gane Ring?
Why Choose a Mokume Gane Ring?
Why Choose a Mokume Gane Ring or Wedding Band?
Mokume Gane - A Truly Custom Ring
Each mokume gane billet forms its own natural pattern. Even when choosing to match a particular style, your ring will be one-of-a-kind. During the process, layers of metal are twisted, forged, and reveal themselves uniquely - ensuring that now two mokume gane rings are identical.
Ideal for Deeply Meaningful Wedding Bands
Mokume gane rings and wedding bands carry deep symbolism. Two seperate metals are forged together in a mokume billet, much like two separate people merging their lives together. Mokume gane wedding bands provide a ring with both stunning natural beauty and deep symbolism reflecting the meaning of marriage.
Mokume Gane - Handcrafted for Your Story
Each piece is individually crafted, creating a truly unique piece. This allows for your mokume gane ring to be created as a true reflection of your love story. When creating your ring, I focus the process on you. This allows maximum creativity and flexibility to create a truly custom mokume gane ring that you can treasure for life.
"Incredible"
This Mokume Gane ring is INCREDIBLE! I just as hesitant about buying a wedding ring online, but this ring exceeded my expectations by far!!! Very unique wedding band for my soon-to-be hubby and fits perfectly!!! She made it PERFECTLY! Thank you so much for your time in making this.
"Gorgeous Ring"
Absolutely gorgeous ring! Debra was very responsive and worked in a short time frame with me to make a custom band that would fit with my engagement ring. I got it in time for the my wedding and have gotten so many compliments! Definitely recommend!
"Unparalleled"
Debra’s handcrafted work, quality of materials, unique style, and professionalism is unparalleled. I spend months going back and forth with companies large and small, and found not only her work as high of quality but also had more confidence in her than many large jewelers.
"A True Artist"
Thanks to Debra, we have the most beautiful Mokume Gane rings on the planet! All we do is stare at our rings. LOL. We couldn't be happier! Debra not only is a true artist, but extremely patient and helpful selecting the exact stone and custom making our rings to perfection. If they aren't the right size, she'll adjust them at no charge.
"Photos Don't Do It Justice"
So lovely! It felt weird at first not seeing the item in person before purchasing but the ring itself is so nice. Photos really don’t even do it justice! The unique pattern is just so cool. It complements my husband’s skin tone exactly like I’d hoped it would. He didn't see it until the wedding ceremony, we had to pause due to him getting lost in admiration when he first saw. Everyone laughed at that. But obviously he loved it at first sight! I couldn't be happier and hope to get a matching band for myself soon! Thank youuu!!!
Meet Your Artist:
Debra Tapian
Having the honor of completing close to 2,000 Mokume Gane rings, it's my passion to tell a story with each piece.
From the start, I fell in love with process of creating custom bridal jewelry. As symbols of love, unity, and hope, these pieces are full of emotion. Being able to create jewelry that captures unique individuals and relationships is truly a gift. With each mokume gane ring and custom piece, I pour my heart into crafting designs that reflect the love, memories and moments my client's treasure.
As such, my approach to crafting custom, handcrafted mokume gane rings is that of storytelling. While I pride myself on highly refined pieces, creating rustic pieces is my specialty. Just as your love story is crafted over time, so too is your mokume gane ring. The imperfections of two people are reflected in the two metals. Coming together, they tell a story of the hardships and journeys they've endured together, much as the metals have through the forging process. My style is focused on creating truly handmade pieces that symbolize your journey and love together.
As my craft has grown, I've also been fortunate to take the same storytelling techniques and apply them to other forms of jewelry, including Australian Opal pieces and custom memorial jewelry. It's an honor to be able to create pieces for my clients that capture special moments, love stories and memories.
Meet Your Artist:
Debra Tapian
Having the honor of completing close to 2,000 Mokume Gane rings, it's my passion to tell a story with each piece.
From the start, I fell in love with process of creating custom bridal jewelry. As symbols of love, unity, and hope, these pieces are full of emotion. Being able to create jewelry that captures unique individuals and relationships is truly a gift. With each mokume gane ring and custom piece, I pour my heart into crafting designs that reflect the love, memories and moments my client's treasure.
As such, my approach to crafting custom, handcrafted mokume gane rings is that of storytelling. While I pride myself on highly refined pieces, creating rustic pieces is my specialty. Just as your love story is crafted over time, so too is your mokume gane ring. The imperfections of two people are reflected in the two metals. Coming together, they tell a story of the hardships and journeys they've endured together, much as the metals have through the forging process. My style is focused on creating truly handmade pieces that symbolize your journey and love together.
As my craft has grown, I've also been fortunate to take the same storytelling techniques and apply them to other forms of jewelry, including Australian Opal pieces and custom memorial jewelry. It's an honor to be able to create pieces for my clients that capture special moments, love stories and memories.
What is Mokume Gane?
Mokume Gane is a traditional Japanese metalworking technique that creates a unique, organic wood grain pattern in metal. The name itself translates to "wood grain metal". It occurs by bonding layered metals together for a truly unique design.
Mokume Gane - An Ancient Japanese Tradition
Mokume Gane, born out of ancient Japanese metalworking techniques, dates back to the 17th century. This technique was born out of the desire to elevate the aesthetic appeal of samurai swords.
Skilled craftsmen experimented with fusing and layering different metals to achieve patterns that imitated natural wood grain. Mokume Gane gained international recognition in the 19th century when Japanese artisans exhibited their works at world fairs. From here, the artform of Mokume Gane has continued to spread, evolving into a beloved jewelry-making technique
How Mokume Gane Is Made
The Mokume Gane ring process begins with selecting and preparing different types of metals, such as gold, silver, copper, and platinum. These metals are then layered together, creating a stack that will form the foundation of the final piece. Once the layers are stacked, they are tightly bound and secured. The bundle is then heated, allowing the metals to bond together through a process known as diffusion bonding. The heat and pressure applied during this stage enable the atoms of the different metals to intermix and create a solid billet.
After the bonding process is complete, the billet is ready for patterning. The billet is carefully carved and shaped, revealing the patterns within. Each Mokume Gane ring pattern is a unique, one-of-a-kind creation. To fully expose the intricate patterns, thin slices of the billet are shaved off, unveiling the unique layers. The surfaces are then refined and polished, to create a truly custom piece.
Mokume Gane as an Image of Marriage
For me, each Mokume Gane ring and wedding band reflects the image of marriage. I start with metals that hold their own, unique, characteristics. Each element a beauty of its own. They are then fused together forever. To get them to fuse takes a lot of care to prep the metals and to get them perfectly flush, intimate together. Until then they cannot properly bond.
Once together, I begin to put the bond to the test by forging and twisting and hammering on it, ensuring to taking care every step of the way, with a gracious heart for the recipients of these metals.
Then after they have withstood the torture of the process, I split the billet and build the rings. They come out the other side showing every wave and line of its journey with beauty so unique and strong.
My clients trusting me with such a special piece in their lives is such an amazing gift. As I forge, I feel honored to create unique pieces that tell the story of marriage while highlighting the unique gifts of the recipients.
Mokume Gane FAQ
What makes a mokume gane ring or wedding band unique?
While two rings may be composed of the same metals and designed to share the same pattern, no two rings are exactly the same. Each mokume billet reveals its own truly unique pattern when carved, which cannot ever be duplicated.
Are mokume gane wedding rings durable for daily wear?
Yes! Mokume Gane rings are highly durable and well suited for everyday use.
Can mokume gane rings be resized?
In most cases mokume gane rings can be resized, depending on the adjustment and metals used. We can provide a sizing guide prior to ordering your ring to reduce the risk of needing an adjustment.
How does etching a mokume gane ring or wedding band work?
Etching a mokume gane ring can provide incredible texture and depth. All of my combination have a silver layer between the gold layers. This layer can take on a tarnish when exposed to certain elements like sulfur or heavy chlorine. On smooth finishes and lightly etched, any darkening/tarnishing to the silver wipes away easily (a swipe with a scotch brite pad if ever stubborn). Going a little deeper with the etching allows for the true character of the mokume gane. The sterling silver layer is the metal that reacts to the etching process. This lowers the silver layer so it is not as easily rubbed which allows for a more antique look. This means that the deeper the etching, the more the ring will hold a darker tone.
