Titanium Can Display So Many Colors!

My first encounter with titanium began around 2004, when I started teaching. At the time, while sharing some non-metal jewelry with students, one of them asked about titanium. To be honest, I had no idea what titanium was back then, nor did I know what kind of metal it was. After class, I returned to my studio and began searching for information related to titanium.

At that time, titanium was only available on the market in sheet form. I bought a thin sheet and tried working with it, only to discover just how hard titanium really is. Simply trying to hammer and bend it left noticeable marks on many of my tools.

While working on that small piece, I accidentally discovered something amazing-titanium can display a wide range of colors.
Honestly, I was completely captivated by the colors-it was love at first sight. I soon forgot all about how difficult it was to shape. From that moment on, I fully committed myself to working with titanium.

Compared to precious metals, titanium has two major advantages:

Lightweight
Titanium weighs only one-fifth as much as gold, making it especially suitable for creating large, sculptural jewelry pieces. However, its toughness is fifteen times that of gold. With a high melting point and extremely fast cooling rate, casting titanium requires vacuum and inert gas protection, which poses significant challenges for jewelry fabrication and gemstone setting.

Brilliant Colors
Titanium offers a spectacular range of colors. Unlike traditional metal coloring methods such as plating or dyeing, titanium's coloration comes from anodizing. This process leverages the thickness of the oxide layer and its interaction with light refraction in the visible spectrum. Different film thicknesses absorb specific wavelengths and reflect complementary colors, giving the titanium surface its rich hues.

That said, working with titanium is extremely challenging. At high temperatures, titanium's internal structure changes, so precise temperature control is critical. Achieving a mirror finish is also one of the most time-consuming and technically difficult processes compared to precious metals. With the market leaning heavily toward mass production and commercial efficiency, few people are willing to invest the time required to truly master this material or refine the craft.

Expressing Design Concepts Through Titanium's Colors
All the colors in my current works are the result of constant experimentation. Even within the color blue, I've developed several variations-light blue, deep blue, bluish white, and blue with green tones.

Today, my creations are largely inspired by natural themes-flowers, plants, and insects-often combined with mixed materials. In recent years, many of these works have appeared in international auctions and have received significant recognition.