objects (such as vases) that are described as shakudō may be mislabeled, especially if the glossy blue-black color is not evident. Unpatinated or repolished shakudō will not spontaneously patinate in air. Modern artisans have revived the use of shakudō as a striking design element, in the making of jewelry, vessels, and for the technique of mokume-gane. Shakudō is sometimes inaccurately used as a general term for damascened decorative metal inlays of Japanese origin. These were widely known in the West as Amita damascene, from the name of a 20th-century manufacturer of such items for export. Amita damascene included shakudo, shibuichi, gold, silver, and bronze for inlays. See also Further reading External links Oguchi, Hachiro. Japanese Shakudo: Its History, Properties and Production from Gold-Containing Alloys. Gold Bulletin, 16, 4, 1983, pp. 125–132 National Pollutant Inventory – Copper and compounds fact sheet History of the Amita Damascene Company Irogane Copper alloys Precious metal alloys