The earliest gold artifacts have been found dating to 4500 BC in Bulgaria. Gold has long been used in jewelry items due to its beautiful warm color, high workability and resistance to corrosion. Gold is most often found in its alloyed form with 14K and 18K being the most common in jewelry. You will often find stamping to indicate purity in parts per thousand, for example 750 to indicate 18 karat.

Mokume-gane is a Japanese metalworking technique that was historically utilized for samurai swords. Loosely translated to ‘wood grain metal’ this time consuming process utilizes many layers of different metals which are then manipulated to create the beautiful patterns. When the dsipay of swords was later outlawed, the artisans transitioned their craft towards jewelry and decorative objects. In the 1870’s the material made its way to the west though by the 20th century mokume-gane practices were nearly extinct. In the 1970’s the craft was revived by Hiroko Pijaowski, who began teaching to her students. Today there are improved methods of creating mokume-gane but to craft the metal by had remains a tedious and time consuming process.

Shibuichi was introduced in 18th century Japan as an alloy used in elements of knife handles and samurai swords. Loosely translating to ‘one quarter,’ shibuichi is an alloy of .25 silver and .75 copper, giving a dark gray color. Different formulations will provide variations of the gray coloring and the material takes well to chemical patinas to enhance its natural beauty.

Sterling silver is an alloy of 925/1000 parts pure silver, with the remainder typically being copper and other metals introduced to enhance strength and hardness. The standardization of sterling silver was first introduced by Edward I in 1275 as a way to ensure quality of materials. You will often ee sterling materials marked with a .925 or 925 stamp to indicate the purity.

Sterling silver will tarnish with exposure to oxygen and other compounds. Tarnish is a layer corrosion but can also create a beautiful patina as often seen in antique items. Cleaning compounds and protective measures can be taken to prevent tarnishing . Sometimes a clear coating can be applied to sterling silver pieces to protect the metal from chemical exposure.