| All over the world there have been many | | | | the design could be increased by hammering them |
| different ways to manipulate metals in order to | | | | flat and folding them. |
| obtain beautiful and unique shapes. Although they | | | | In present days, mokume consists of the same |
| were meant at first to create practical objects, | | | | basic process but with more modern machinery. |
| they have later become the primary process of | | | | Thus a controlled atmosphere is usually used in an |
| creating decorative objects such as jewelry. | | | | electric furnace with temperature control. Hand |
| The art of manipulating metals has been taken to | | | | forging is now replaced by a hydraulic press that |
| another level in the early centuries of the 2nd | | | | can apply far greater force to the metals. The |
| millennium in Japan. The swords obtained here | | | | use of modern machinery also allows the creator |
| were recognized as being the best in quality and | | | | to include other components in the design like |
| endurance by rights, because some of them still | | | | titanium, nickel, platinum and others. |
| have a sharp edge after a few hundred years. | | | | The whole process of mokume requires a lot of |
| In Japan there were many sword types: katana, | | | | concentration and also exactness from the artist. |
| nodachi, wakizashi, tanto, kwaiken and many | | | | The key to it is to know exactly when to stop it, |
| others. Each of these swords is grouped | | | | because each moment too soon or too late can |
| according to their length or by being either single | | | | make the difference between a unique piece of |
| or double edged. The effectiveness of a Japanese | | | | jewelry and total disaster. |
| sword in combat exceeded that of the | | | | If the process would be halted too soon, the |
| opponent's. | | | | metals would not bind together and thus the piece |
| After the age of war ended, in the 17th century, | | | | could no longer be obtained. On the other hand, if |
| the manipulation of metals was undertaken for | | | | the process wouldn't be stopped at the required |
| decorative purposes. This is when mokume-gane | | | | moment and it would go on for longer, the |
| took birth, a process that consists of mixing | | | | effects of this would be the melting of the metals |
| metals in order to obtain unique and distinctive | | | | and the result would be a metal paste that could |
| patterns. | | | | not be used for anything anymore. |
| The designs obtained through mokume resemble | | | | This is the reason why mokume should be |
| those of wood fibers. In fact, if you would | | | | undertaken only by those who know what they |
| translate the expression into English, it means | | | | are doing. The cosmic jewelry artist David |
| metal that resembles knots in wood. Traditionally, | | | | Weitzman is one of those people and he uses this |
| the design is obtained by using soft metallic | | | | process to create some of the most unique |
| elements or alloys, which would form bonds with | | | | pieces you have ever seen. |
| one another without melting. The complexity of | | | | |