Half Persian 3-1

This weave, although it looks easy enough, took me forever to figure out!  It required an extra set of hand of my friend to help keep the rings in the right spot.  Now that I did it a few times, it is easy weaving, but trying to figure it out for the first time was really a challenge!  Here is a close-up:

As defined by Wikipedia, "Mail (also maille, often given as chain mail or chain maille) is a type of armour or jewelry that consists of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh."   Although I've only been making chain maille jewelry for about a year, I've become highly addicted to it.  It is kind of like putting together a puzzle or figuring out one of your kids toys that you have to assemble Christmas morning....some are very easy to understand, while others leave you puzzled for hours (days, weeks, months!). 

The Process

To make chain maille, I've invested in some great tools to make the process much easier on my fingers & hands.  Eventually, I'll try to post pictures, but here is a quick summary of what I do:

1.  Buy wire.  I buy a ton of sterling silver & copper wire.  Every piece of chain jewelry you see on my sight starts as a pile of wire.

2.  Make coils.  After figuring out what size I need, I wind the wire onto mandrels (knitting needles) with my drill.  I have to wear leather gloves to protect my fingers from the ends of the wire - one lesson I learned the hard way! 

3.  Cut coils.  I purchased a tool called a Koil Kutter that works with my Dremel.  It is a special cutting tool that guides my Dremel & cutting disc smoothly down the entire coil resulting in perfectly cut jumprings. 

4.  Tumble.  When I cut the rings, the wire is usually dull and covered with Dawn dishwashing soap, which acts as a lubricant for cutting.  So, I rinse & toss all the cut rings into my tumbler for about 1/2 hour to clean, de-burr (smooth ends), work harden, and polish. 

5.  Weave.  I highly recommend a good light source, great pliers, and good vision if you decide you want to start weaving rings! 

Weaves I've done, although I don't have pics of them all (yet):

Byzantine, Box, Jens Pind, European 4-1, Half Persian 3-1, Full Persian, Double Rope Spiral, Japanese 12-2, Flower/Rosette, Helm or Parallel, and a couple other simple chains. 

Patina

I can add a patina to any finished piece.  Patina will make sterling silver look black and darken copper for an aged look.  Here is an example . . . .