Mokume-gane Navajo Earrings by Al Joe

Navajo Artist Al Joe discovered the Japanese Mokume-gane metal work skill in the early eighties when materials to create is were harder to come by. At that time he used it to decorate a coral bracelet and so doing won first place in The Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial! 
Mokume -gane is a painstaking process of using many levels of metal to create decorative elaborate patterns. It was initially developed in the 17th century by Denbei Shoami to adorn swords as a status symbol.