Mokume Gane Pine Bark Cuff Bracelet

Description

Mokume gane pine bark cuff bracelet – this pattern is different from the one I used for the narrower cuff.  The pine bark pattern is a heavier gauge (thicker) metal, so it’s the choice for wider bracelets.  I really like the design so I used it for this bracelet. The bracelet shown is just under 1.25 inches wide, but I could make a cuff up to about 2 inches wide.  Questions?

Here’s some background information about this metal:   Mokume gane is a multilayered metal laminate.  It is labor intensive to produce the metal to produce and so the finished metal is rather expensive. The fascination with this metal is the patterning that can be achieved with combinations of different metals and some inspired carving techniques. 

The technique was developed in Japan in the 1700s to create decorative sword blades.  This is an old technique where patterns in metal are achieved by carving into multiple fused layers of different metals.   These laminates were carved to reveal intriguing patterns.  Mokume Gane means “wood eye” because the metal has patterns that are suggestive of “eyes”.   Over time artists have adapted the original techniques to create elegant ornamental objects and beautiful jewelry.

Read more about this technique