Shakudō

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Shakudō (赤銅) is a billon of gold and copper (typically 4% Gold, 96% Copper), mostly designed for its beautiful dark blue-purple patina. It was historically used in Japan to decorate katana fittings such as tsuba and yatate. When it was introduced to the West in the mid-19th century, it was thought to be previously unknown outside Asia, but recent studies have suggested close similarities to certain decorative alloys used in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.^[1]. Modern jewelry artisans have revived the use of shakudō as a striking design element, especially for the technique of mokume-gane.

Shakudō is sometimes used as a general term for damascened decorative objects of Japanese origin. These are also widely known in the West as Amita damascene, from the name of a 20th-century manufacturer of such items for export.

[edit] See also

• Hepatizon (Black bronze)
• Katana
• Tumbaga
• Niello

[edit] External links

• National Pollutant Inventory - Copper and compounds fact sheet
• History of the Amita Damascene Company