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Andrew Nyce Designs is proud to announce a new collection of fine jewelry that will be available in late August 2010. The Balance Collection is an Asian-inspired line of Mokume Gane earrings and pendants. This stunning new collection reflects on the Japanese origin of Mokume Gane and was created through a collaboration between jewelry designer Deborah Spencer and Andrew Nyce Designs. The earring and pendant designs will be interchangeable with each other and will complement our line of Mokume Gane wedding and engagement rings. Initially, the Balance Collection will be offered with Glacial Mist Mokume Gane.
Kinkou is the Japanese word for balance and means having or wanting balance in one’s life. The unique designs of the Balance Collection jewelry are meant to foster a sense of well-being and balance. Please inquire if you are interested in learning more about the Balance Collection.
Categories: Damascus Stainless Steel, Engagement Rings, Latest News, Men's Rings, Mokume Gane, New Designs, Wedding Rings | Tags: damascus patterns, damascus steel, Engagement Rings, mokume gane |
Andrew Nyce Designs | June 18, 2010 |
 [left: BOLD Starlight Damascus Men's Ring with white and black diamonds]
[right: Embraced Ashes and Snow Mokume Gane Wedding Band with Ceylon Blue Sapphires]
Andrew Nyce Designs has launched a number of new designs and patterns for Summer 2010 with the theme Something New and Something Blue. Because, who really wants something borrowed or old? Designs this Summer incorporated more gemstones not only into traditional engagement rings, but into men’s rings as well. Black diamonds are a trend we could not afford to ignore. Blue Sapphires are a pleasing complement to both the steely tones of our Damascus rings as well as to the subtle hues of our white-metal Mokume Gane palettes like Ashes and Snow. In addition, we have worked to created some new Damascus patterns and refreshed a few others.
[top: Glacial Mist Mokume Gane Blue Sapphire Engagement Ring]
[bottom: Glacial Mist Mokume Gane 3-Stone Diamond Engagement Ring]
For our Mokume Gane Engagement Ring Collection, we have added a three-stone diamond engagement ring. This refined, traditional setting works well with our lighter Mokume Gane palettes, like Glacial Mist or Ashes and Snow. A Blue Sapphire sitting in the 6-prong setting adds just the right amount of color to make the ring truly eye-popping.
[left to right: Essentials Damascus Rings with Wave Rider, Quasar, Safari, Thor, Remington and Woodcut patterns]
Four new Damascus patterns have been added to our line: Wave Rider, Quasar, Safari and Thor. In addition, we have refreshed Remington (circles and ovals are more distinct) and Woodcut (now with broader lines). Wave Rider is a Special Edition pattern that is available in limited stock. When the stock is used up, the pattern will no longer be offered. The image above shows the new patterns as Essentials Damascus wedding rings. Below, the patterns are shown as JET Men’s Damascus ring.
 Our men’s rings are offered in a narrow size range (7 to 13) and wider overall width (8mm and 10mm) than our Essentials rings (sizes 4 to 13 and widths 4mm to 10mm). JET rings come standard with a black oxide coating; black oxide coatings are an option for Essentials rings.
Canyonlands TriGold is a new Mokume Gane color palette composed of layers of 14K Yellow Gold, 14K Palladium White Gold and 14K Red Gold. Canyonlands TriGold evokes the dramatic and colorful landscape of Southeastern Utah.
 [Canyonlands TriGold Mokume Gane Wedding Ring Set]
Finally, if you see some design elements of our rings that you like and want to combine it with other design elements into a totally new ring, ask us. We’d be happy to make a custom-designed work of art for you. Who wouldn’t want to see Black diamonds combined with Ceylon Blue Sapphire. The Black & Blue Men’s Ring…a new design for the Fall, perhaps?
 [Mockup of a Black & Blue Damascus Men's Ring]
Andrew Nyce Designs is dedicated to expanding and improving the Mokume Gane compositions we offer our customers. During the past few weeks, Andrew has been making a number of Mokume billets for the New Year. We thought you might be interested in seeing what these billets look like. And you might be interested in the new alloy combinations.
Billets 1 through 3 represent Mokume Gane compositions where we have introduced different precious metals to our existing color palettes. These new compositions may be added to our existing Mokume Gane color palettes in 2010. We continue to explore lower cost Mokume compositions that do not sacrifice elegance for affordability. Our goal is to provide Mokume Gane to suit your budget.
- Billet 1 – In this billet, we have taken the Desert Sunset palette (14K Palladium White Gold and 18K Royal Yellow Gold) and substituted the 18K Royal Yellow Gold with 14K Green Gold.
- Billet 2 – In this billet, we have taken the Glacial Mist palette (14K Palladium White Gold and Palladium-enhanced Sterling Silver) and substituted the 14K Palladium White Gold with 950 Palladium.
- Billet 3 – In this billet, we have taken the Ashes and Snow palette (950 Platinum, 14K Palladium White Gold, and Palladium-enhanced Sterling Silver) and substituted the 950 Platinum with 14K Green Gold.
Aside from being a lower cost alternative to Platinum and 18K Yellow Gold, the aesthetics of 14K Green Gold are very pleasing. We like it and hope you will too. And using 950 Palladium in place of 14K Palladium White Gold is a great way to provide a Mokume Gane with the classic, sophisticated look of Glacial Mist at a lower cost and with a more subtle contrast.
Billets 4 through 7 represent some of our standard Mokume Gane compositions. These billets are being made into rings for customers or for use in new ring designs that we will introduce in the first quarter of 2010.
- Billet 4 – Glacial Mist comprises layers of 14K Palladium White Gold and Palladium-enhanced Sterling Silver.
- Billet 5 – Maui Sunset comprises layers of 14K Palladium White Gold, 18K Royal Yellow Gold, 14K Red Gold, and Palladium-enhanced Sterling Silver.
- Billet 6 – Santa Fe comprises layers of 14K Palladium White Gold, 14K Red Gold, and Palladium-enhanced Sterling Silver.
- Billet 7 – Painted Desert comprises layers of 18K Royal Yellow Gold, 14K Red Gold, and Palladium-enhanced Sterling Silver.
So far in 2009, Andrew Nyce Designs has added three new Damascus patterns to the five other patterns that we offer. Art Deco was introduced earlier this year. The Woodcut and Cosmic patterns were introduced in late Summer.
The Art Deco pattern has bold rounded and linear elements that intersect each with other forming modern motifs. Shown below are two rings with the Art Deco pattern: a JET Men’s ring with a black oxide coating (top) and an Embraced Wedding ring with an 18K gold channel.
Woodcut pays homage to the thick, flowing lines of a woodcut print. The pattern also reflects more Earthly forms such as the furrows in a freshly plowed field. Shown below are two Men’s rings with the JET ring sitting atop a BOLD ring. Both rings have the Woodcut pattern and a black oxide coating.
The wider Cosmic pattern mirrors the vast emptiness of space punctuated by striking and beautiful interstellar bodies. Shown below is a JET Men’s ring with the Quasar pattern and a black oxide coating.
All of these patterns are available for any ring within any of the Andrew Nyce Designs Damascus Collections.
Jewelry Studio Notes (a technical discussion of Andrew’s work on new Damascus patterns)
Woodcut and Art Deco are both produced from the same starting material. We use a stacking arrangement consisting of alternating layers of 316L and 304L stainless steel. This assembly is bonded using a proprietary process. Then, the material is forged into a round bar of a predetermined diameter, twisted, forged into a square and then machined into a round bar. The Art Deco pattern is found on the surface of the round bar. If, after the twisting step, the round bar is forged flat instead of into a square, the result is the Woodcut pattern.
The Cosmic pattern is similar in appearance to both the Wood Grain and Celestial patterns. The starting materials for Cosmic are parallel layers of Damascus that have been twisted to a 70-degree starting angle, forged into a square shape, and then machined into a round bar. Both the Cosmic pattern and subtle variations of the Cosmic pattern are found on the surface of the round bar. From a production standpoint, the Cosmic pattern is an undistorted Wood Grain pattern.
[Blue Flame Rings set in an 18K gold channel (left) and platinum-enhanced sterling silver channel (right) ]
About 7 years ago, I began making jewelry using a unique process that incorporated an oxyacetylene torch to sculpt the surface of semi-solid silver alloys into ripples and waves. I enjoyed the challenge of this work and created some strikingly beautiful jewelry. However, I became so intensely interested in Mokume Gane and Damascus that I set this third jewelry-making technique aside. Until now. I have returned to the idea of creating jewelry with this process under the name Blue Flame.
Blue Flame Jewelry is created by sculpting silver alloys into ripples and waves using an intense oxyacetylene (blue) flame. The initial step involves subjecting a specially formulated sheet of silver alloy to a pre-oxidation and acid-etching treatment. This treatment creates a thin layer of pure silver on the surface of the silver alloy sheet.
Using an oxyacetylene flame, I preheat the sheet to just below the point where the interior of the silver alloy sheet begins to melt. The surface layer of pure silver, which has a higher melting point, remains solid. The challenge is to prevent the liquid metal alloy from “burning” through the solid pure silver layer. As I move the oxyacetylene flame across the sheet, liquid/solid regions are created which, in turn, create the ripples and waves as the alloy beneath the pure solid silver alternately melts and solidifies. The size of the flame and the pre-oxidation conditions determine the size of the surface features. Waves, ripples, swirls and even writing are possible in various scales with this technique.
Although this technique, also known as reticulation, can be used on gold or silver alloys, I have chosen to focus my efforts in the jewelry studio on silver alloys embraced in a channel of precious metal alloys. My initial emphasis will be on making rings, the first of which will be offered through one of our retailers, Taboo Studio in San Diego, California. The plan is to expand into more of our retail outlets into next year. In late 2010, I intend to offer other Blue Flame jewelry, such as pendants and earrings.
If you have any questions or would like more information about Blue Flame rings, please contact us.
 [Flame-sculpted necklace handcrafted by Andrew Nyce Designs in 2003]
Andrew Nyce Designs has added a new Stainless Steel Mokume composition to our Mokume Gane Men’s ring lineup. Golden Light Mokume is composed of stainless steel and 18K yellow gold. Golden Light Mokume features a stainless steel channel, which is the standard for all Mokume Gane rings in the Men’s Collection.
Andrew’s research in the jewelry studio enabled him to engineer this innovative marriage of precious metal alloy and stainless steel. Like Shadows and Light Mokume, our stainless steel and platinum-enhanced sterling silver composition, Golden Light Mokume is made with a random pattern. Both the Golden Light and Shadows and Light Men’s rings are relief polished with an aggressive abrasive that erodes away the precious metal alloys at a faster rate than either the 316L or 304L Stainless Steel. The result is a contoured relief on the surface of the ring that accentuates the pattern.
The Golden Light Mokume Gane Men’s ring would be a fine accessory for stainless steel and gold watches. Andrew is currently working on a red gold stainless steel Mokume composition that we intend to add to the Men’s Collection by year’s end.
Andrew Nyce Designs announces the launch of a new Collection for our Damascus Stainless Steel rings. For those who prefer a classic, uncomplicated look, the Damascus Essentials Collection is a simple, yet elegant design. The distinctive Damascus pattern is the star of this design and can be seen from all sides of the ring. The Essentials Collection of Damascus rings is a counterpart to our Mokume Essentials Collection.
Rings in the Essentials Collection mirror the look of our JET Damascus Men’s line. However, Essentials rings come in a broader range of widths (from 4mm to 10mm) compared to the JET rings (8mm to 10mm), which are geared toward the wider aesthetics of a men’s ring. Essentials rings also do not have the black oxide coating, which is standard on most of our Men’s rings. The ring profile is typically domed across the top to maintain the rugged beauty of this collection.
The following design options are available for rings in the Damascus Essentials Collection:
Adding a Liner
An inner liner adds to the strength and longevity of the ring and creates a two-dimensional contrast that complements the steel blue-gray of the Damascus band.
Adding a Black Oxide Coating
A black oxide coating creates a striking contrast for the etched surface of the Damascus pattern.
Please note that it is possible to order an Essentials ring with edges only. You must fill out a Custom Quote Form in order to select this option. Edges enable the Damascus band to stand out by framing it either in warm, vibrant colors (yellow or red gold) or cool, distinguished colors (white gold, platinum or palladium). Framing the band with gold, platinum or palladium only adds to its rarity, making it more of an expression of your personality and character.
[left to right, Damascus Meridian with hand-textured inlaid band, Damascus Meridian Ultra, Mokume Meridian]
Andrew Nyce Designs formally introduces our Meridian Collection of Mokume Gane and Damascus Stainless Steel wedding, anniversary, and commitment rings. The defining feature of this Collection is an inlaid band of gold, platinum or palladium alloy that encircles the surface of the ring. This precious metal meridian neatly bisects the distinctive Mokume Gane and Damascus Steel patterns. Meridian rings were inspired by our JET Racer Damascus Men’s line.
A meridian is an imaginary arc on the Earth’s surface connecting the North and South geographic poles. All locations along the same meridian have the same longitude. A meridian also can be defined as pathways through the body along which vital energy circulates. Both of these definitions speak to the concept of connectedness, whether it is between locations separated by vast distances on the Earth, within our own bodies, or on the surface of a ring. The Meridian Collection takes this concept of connectedness and wraps it around your finger.
In making a Meridian ring, the starting point is a plain Damascus Steel or Mokume Gane band. A narrow channel is formed along the centerline of the band using either hand tools or a mini lathe. Then, a precious metal alloy square wire is fitted into to the channel and soldered in place.
There are two styles available for Damascus rings: Meridian and Meridian Ultra. The standard Damascus Meridian ring has an inlaid band that is proportional to the overall width of the ring. Meridian Ultra has a narrower inlaid band compared to the standard Meridian style. Only Damascus Meridian rings have the option of a hand-textured inlaid band. There is one style available for Meridian Mokume Gane rings.
An exclusive new Stainless Steel Mokume Gane composition, named Shadows and Light, has been developed by Andrew in his studio. The new composition, comprising 40 layers of 316 stainless steel and platinum-enhanced sterling silver, is made using our Contour (random) patterning technique. Rings made with this innovative Mokume composition have been selected to launch Andrew Nyce Designs’ newest line: the Mokume Gane Men’s Collection.
Typically, Mokume Gane utilizes alternating layers of precious metals including gold, platinum, palladium and silver alloys. Traditional Japanese Mokume Gane was made by combining various copper alloys. Other metals and alloys have been incorporated into modern Mokume compositions. However, Andrew is the first metalsmith to successfully marry 316 stainless steel with precious metals through the use of solid-state diffusion bonding, hot forging, and cold rolling.
Andrew Nyce Designs plans to expand its line of Stainless Steel Mokume Gane with an 18K yellow gold and 316 stainless steel Mokume composition. The new composition will be introduced in Fall 2009 as part of the Mokume Men’s Collection. It also will feature a stainless steel channel which is the standard for all Mokume Gane rings in the Men’s Collection.
Our new Mokume Men’s rings marry the ancient Japanese metalworking art of Mokume Gane with the craftsmanship of Damascus Steel. The origin of both these techniques is rooted firmly in swordmaking. Mokume Gane Men’s rings offer the strength and fortitude that mirror their history.
Jewelry Studio Notes (a technical discussion of Andrew’s work on Stainless Steel Mokume)
Leading up to his new development, Andrew reviewed the current research that touched upon a stainless steel and precious metal Mokume. In 2004, Jim Binnion demonstrated that 22K gold and pure iron as well as platinum and pure iron could be bonded and subsequently processed into twist patterned Mokume Gane rings. However, in his 2002 book “Mokume Gane”, Ian Ferguson stated that the fine silver and stainless steel Mokume Gane is not at all malleable: microscopic examination showed massive disintegration of the stainless steel layers. According to Ferguson, “in this respect, it cannot be considered a true Mokume Gane at all, as the pattern cannot be controlled. It must be deformed red hot using a power hammer and must be hot rolled, it requires; it requires frequent annealing, there is massive extrusion of the fine silver at the edges and often tearing through the sheet. It presents an interesting natural disintegrated pattern and can be patinated in a range of colors. Due to forming difficulties, it is recommended to use the material in the flat form.”
According to Andrew, “this prior work painted a very discouraging backdrop against which I attempted to bond 316 stainless steel to precious metal alloys. Binnion’s work using pure iron is impressive, but his results do not suggest that bonding 316 stainless steel would be possible. Pure iron is very soft and unlike 316 stainless does not form any oxides that would impede bonding. Stainless steel, on the other hand, forms a tough chromium oxide layer that makes solid state diffusion bonding problematic.”
Nevertheless, Andrew was able to use the metallurgical principles to successfully bond 316 stainless steel to platinum-enhanced sterling silver as well as to 18K yellow gold. “The melting points of the sterling silver and the 18K yellow gold were critical to the success of bonding with the 316 stainless steel. The annealing temperature of the 316 stainless steel/18K yellow gold and the 316 stainless steel/Sterling in between cold pressing and cold rolling must be high enough to anneal the 316 stainless steel, but not to melt the sterling silver or the 18K yellow gold. Metallurgical phase diagrams were used to determine feasibility of diffusion bonding and to determine whether any low melting phase would form during processing. Cold and hot forging along with cold rolling were successfully employed in producing both contour patterned Mokume Gane compositions.”
“I am currently testing these materials for use in making twist-patterned Mokume Gane. The use of carbon-containing protective atmospheres was shown to be a problem that was solved by “canning” the Mokume during annealing and hot forging. The bonded 316 Stainless steel and 18K yellow gold and 316 stainless steel and platinum-enhanced sterling silver could be cold rolled by as much as 15% between anneals without bond failure.”
These new Stainless Steel Mokume Gane compositions have the following advantages:
- They are inherently more wear-resistant because of the 316 stainless steel
- The 316 stainless steel imparts a color similar to platinum, but a luster that is richer
- A black oxide coating can be applied to the 316 stainless steel for added contrast
- They are potentially less expensive than a 14K palladium white gold and sterling silver Mokume composition
- The ability to etch either the 316 stainless or the sterling silver (Shadows and Light Mokume)
The potential cost savings, compared to typical precious metal Mokume Gane compositions, will depend upon our ability to find a company who can refine Mokume Gane compositions containing stainless steel. One refiner has turned us down, but another refiner has indicated that they will evaluate the feasibility of refining our scrap. If we cannot find refiners who are able to do this, Andrew Nyce Designs is committed to developing the technology ourselves.
I am pleased to announce the launch of the Andrew Nyce Designs newsBLOG. It will serve as a platform to provide in-depth information on our new Mokume Gane and Damascus Stainless Steel products and designs, share the results of my work and research in the jewelry studio, introduce new retail outlets where our rings can be purchased, and announce national and regional advertising campaigns that are running.
I am continuously update our Mokume Gane and Damascus Stainless Steel Ring Collections throughout the year. The updates might be on a large scale, such as an entirely new Ring Collection, or on a smaller scale, such as a new Damascus pattern. Although we are able to use the Andrew Nyce Designs homepage as a platform for new product launches, the newsBLOG will enable us to describe new products and their distinguishing attributes in detail so that customers can make a more informed purchase decision. Andrew Nyce Designs is constantly evolving. Watch us grow.
I have over 40 years experience in the field of metallurgy. I feel very comfortable working in the studio to create new Mokume compositions or patterns or improving the materials and processes for making Mokume Gane and Damascus Stainless Steel rings. What I do in the studio can be very technical, but I will try to present it in a manner that is both educational and informative. The results of my experiments have become the foundation of my Ring Collections. As have customer requests for customized designs or patterns. I strive to create something truly beautiful, innovative and unique. And I want to share that passion with you.
I would love to hear your feedback so feel free to leave comments.
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