Feb 1, 2018 · Tiffany & Co. exhibited an extraordinary mixed metal vase at the Paris 1889 Universal Exposition. Created from a layered block of 24-karat gold, silver, and copper, it was 32 inches high, priced at $5000, and the largest known object ever made using the Japanese technique of mokumé.

Mokume-gane (木目金) is a Japanese metalworking procedure which produces a mixed-metal laminate with distinctive layered patterns; the term is also used to refer to the resulting laminate itself.

This mokume vase represents a time when appreciation for Japanese design and craftsmanship was taking the world (Tiffany & Company included) by storm. In the mid- to late 1850s, Japan was opened to commercial trade by Commodore Matthew C. Perry and several treaties.

May 31, 2019 · At some point in time, exactly when remains unclear, Japanese craftsmen began using mokume gane for other decorative objects. In an 1893 paper for the Journal of The Society of Arts, Professor W. Chandler Roberts-Austen describes a pair of mokume vases from the Kensington collection:

Title: Wood-Grain Metal Vase. Artist: Tamagawa Norio 玉川宣夫 (Japanese, born 1942) Period: Heisei period (1989–2019) Date: 2019. Culture: Japan. Medium: Hammered silver, copper, and copper and gold alloy (shakudō) Dimensions: H. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); Diam. 8 1/4 in. ( 21 cm) Classification: Metalwork.

In every sense a masterpiece, this Japanese-inspired vase is one of the most exciting pieces Tiffany brought to the 1878 Paris Exhibition. The shoulders are draped with mokume showing much bright gold.

Feb 14, 2024 · Vases: Mokume Gane vases are stunning and unique. The vases can have different shapes and sizes, such as round, oval, square, or tall. The vases can also have different patterns and colors on the surface of the metal. The vases can be used for holding flowers or as decorative objects. Learning and Mastering Mokume Gane: A Path for Aspiring Artisans

Tiffany & Co. copied the mokume technique, "laminations of different metals and alloys...[which] produce an effect like the graining of rare wood and a harmonious play of color," from Japanese metalwork. It was used to decorate the "Conglomerate Vase" for the Paris Exhibition of 1878, and at the Paris Exposition of 1889 Tiffany & Co. displayed ...

This dish is a masterwork of the Japanese technique of mixing metal to imitate woodgrain, called mokume-hada. The typical Japanese formula for this work consists of hammering soldered layers of gold, silver, and the copper alloys shibuichi, shakudo, and kuromi.

As Japan's first store specializing in mokume gane jewelry, Mokumeganeya is not only exploring new techniques and products, but also preserving, restoring, and researching remaining mokume gane pieces. A portion of these masterpieces are open …