Volume 1 Issue 14
August 1, 2008

Dear Friends,

I must greet you with my annual July 4th report on Cozumel. The reefs are indeed alive and bustling with activity. The soft corals are abundant and move gracefully in the currents. There are many turtles. Sadly, the sea horses have moved on. The gobies hide in the sand, but these timid fish are also curious creatures. A small mirror place in the sand by the hole will draw them from their respective homes. Once out, they either fight with the unknown assailant or play the role of Narcissus. In either case it makes for wonderful photo opportunities.

Makume Gane Diamond Clasp

By Lithos Jewelry

Mokume Gane is a Japanese word meaning, wood (moku), eye (me) and metal (gane). Denbei Shaomi discovered this technique for laminating, forging and rolling metal in 17thcentury Japan. This new metal form adorned the handles and sheaths of swords, thus enhancing the status of the Samurai warrior lucky enough to posses one. The featured clasp has thirty layers of metal that are fused to form a “billet”. This billet is then carved and re-forged and rolled. The maker repeats this process many times. Mokume Gane can be many different colors depending on the metal used in the process. The red is copper, white is nickel and gold, yellow is gold or brass, green is copper and brass. There are many combinations of metals. In addition to clasps, we can make rings, bracelets, earrings or pendants with the Mokume Gane.

Many of you know our son-in-law is working as a translator in Afghanistan. Please keep him in your thoughts.

Thank you again for your patronage and friendship. We appreciate all of you.

With love,
Lornie and Rose