Eric Burris

l make contemporary jewelry with many materials, Mokume Gane being the most dominant. I use copper and silver because of their similar working characteristics and contrasting color. I'm inspired to use wood as it complements the Mokume Gane patterns. Fragments of maps find their way into one-of-a-kind pieces if the place has significant relevance.
Eric currently lives and works in Maryland with his partner Gretchen and their dog Lita. He participates in regional and national fine craft shows and art festivals. He has also been an educator for several years, teaching at the college level and conducting workshops on the Mokume Gane technique.
Mokume Gane, a technique born out of Japanese metalsmithing translates into English as “wood eye metal”. It is a time consuming process where two or more different metals are alternately stacked, clamped and heated to high temperature. The result is the lamination of all layers into a solid mass of metal, or billet. The billet is then prepared for patterning by forging to half its original thickness. The pattern is started by carving through layers and forging the billet even thinner, or by bumping the surface and grinding through the first several layers. In both cases a very organic wood grain pattern develops. The billet is now usable as sheet metal which can be formed, forged, and soldered.