Mokume Gane translated directly as "wood grain metal" and can be similar in design to Damascus, however it is made with fine metals (Gold, Silver, Platinum, Pladium). It is a technique that came out of the orient long ago and is starting to gain popularity in the western world. This process has two possible directions.

The easier of the two (and definitely the one that is available to most goldsmiths) is to layer the metal and then apply ample amounts of solder to stick all the layers together. You then engrave and punch a pattern into the billet and work it thinner and as you go until you have a beautiful piece that can be made into whatever type of jewelery that you would like.

The second type of Mokume Gane billet (and the one I use) is created by layering all the sheets of metal up then subjecting them to immense heat in the forge and welding them together at the correct temperature. This process, although slightly harder to do, does not have the inherent issues dealing with the the mass amount of solder added to the building of the billet in the first process.

There are also some processes that require laser welders and induction coils but these processes are not really available to the general smith and are used mostly by large manufacturers.

No matter how you make the billet the next steps are all the same. To get the pattern you punch, engrave and file the pattern into the billet flattening it as you go so that the bottom layers press up to the surface to create differences in colour. You then end up with a thin sheet of patterned material that is then laminated onto a ring or background of some sort to add some strength to the piece you would like to create.