DecortypeMetalwork › Inlaid & Engraved Metal

Mokume-gane & Takaoka copper

Japan tradition · 5 examples · indicative market tier: Under $500 (entry level & living craft)

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. The term mokume-gane translates closely to 'wood grain metal' or 'wood eye metal' and describes the way metal takes on the appearance of natural wood grain. Mokume-gane fuses several layers of differently coloured precious metals together to form a sandwich of alloys called a "billet." The billet is then manipulated in such a way that a pattern resembling wood grain emerges over its surface. Wikipedia →

Types & examples

Silver and mokume gane box
Silver and mokume gane box
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Mokume-gane patroon
Mokume-gane patroon
Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Mokume-gane (detail)
Mokume-gane (detail)
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Mokume-gane (detail) - e
Mokume-gane (detail) - e
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Mokume-gane (detail) - b
Mokume-gane (detail) - b
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Where to buy

1stDibsHigh-end antiques & design marketplaceBrowse listings → LiveAuctioneersAggregated live auctions worldwideBrowse listings → InvaluableAuction-house listings & price archiveBrowse listings → Christie'sMajor-auction results & upcoming salesBrowse listings → EtsyLiving artisans & vintage dealersBrowse listings → eBayBroad secondary market — vet sellers carefullyBrowse listings →

Each link opens a live, image-rich search for this craft on that marketplace. Listings rotate constantly; authenticate significant pieces independently — attribution quality varies widely outside museum collections.