PROJECTBEGINNER | CHAIN MAIL

You can use round- or square-wire jump

rings in any gauge for this weave, but

do the following quick test to make sure

your ring sizes will work. Attach four rings to

one closed ring. Hold the single ring; if the four

rings hang straight down and fit evenly on the

bottom of the first ring, they will work with this

weave. If they fan out to the sides, try a larger

inner diameter (ID) or a thinner-gauge ring. The

tighter the fit, the more dense the weave. Once

you get the pattern going, the bracelet works

up fairly quickly!

Simple Spiral Chain Mail

Use square-wire jump

rings to make a 4-in-1

spiral bracelet sparkle.

by Cathy S. Contreras

Twist this chain back into a sharp spiral before you put it on — the spiral will lock in place when you fasten the clasp.

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materials ■ Sterling silver square-wire jump rings: 20-gauge (0.8 mm), 3.5 mm inside diameter (ID), quantity varies depend-ing on bracelet length (105 rings will make a 71/2-in./19.1 cm bracelet)

■ Sterling silver lobster clasp

suppliersMetal and tools (Rio Grande, www.riogrande.com)

Close one jump ring [1], and attach it to a holding wire — a twist tie, paper clip, or piece of string. This is optional but will make it easier for you to hold onto the chain as you work. Open the remaining jump rings. Insert a second ring through the first ring [2], and close it.

To start the spiral, work from left to right and make sure you add the jump rings in the correct orientation. Hold the two rings so that the second ring rests on top of the first ring at the top and behind the first ring at the bottom. Make sure there is a space where the two rings overlap. Insert a third ring through the first two rings from behind at the bottom to the front at the top, and close it [3].

NOTE: Always add the new ring in the same direction as the previous ring to keep the spiral going. You will have to retwist the chain as you are working, and it will be easy to see if you have added a ring in the wrong direction.

Add a fourth jump ring in the same manner, placing it through rings 2 and 3, and close it.

Add a fifth jump ring through rings 3 and 4, and close it [4].

Continue to add jump rings in the same manner until you reach your desired bracelet length.

Add a sterling silver lobster clasp to an open jump ring, and insert that jump ring through the last two jump rings in the bracelet in the same direction as you added the previous jump rings [5]. Close the last jump ring.

Remove the holding wire from the opposite end.

Add a jump ring to the jump ring at the end of the chain opposite the clasp, and close it [6].

NOTE: In order for the clasp to hook into the ring easily, insert the final ring through only one previous ring instead of two.

1 2

3

5

4

6

Process photos by Tara Anderson.

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variationsThe flat surfaces of the square wire jump rings add dimension, texture, and sparkle to any weave. Occasionally, I’ll add accents of round wire rings in designs when mixing metals — sterling silver looks great with copper or bronze. To add color and really make the patterns “pop,” anodized aluminum or niobium jump rings create beautiful contrast.

fixing

the twistA single spiral chain will untwist unless both ends are fixed to immobile points. Square-wire rings will keep the twist a bit better than round, but it will not be a sharp spiral. When the spiral unwinds, it becomes a loose version of another beautiful weave called “Jens Pind.”

Twist the chain back into a sharp spiral before you put the bracelet on, and it will stay spiraled until you take it off. Or, make two or three spiral chains and twist them together; they will stay twisted after you attach the clasp.

Both of the bracelets on this page were made with two round-wire jump ring spiral chains twisted together. The smaller is all sterling silver, and the larger is sterling silver with fuschia anodized aluminum rings.

want to make your own jump rings?If you prefer to make your own square-wire jump rings, you will need 0.5 ozt. (troy ounces) of sterling silver, square, half-hard wire. Wind your coil on a 3.5 mm mandrel, and use a jeweler’s saw and a 4/0 blade or a jump ring maker to cut the rings from the coil. You will have enough rings to make an 8-in. (20.3 cm) bracelet.

Because of the spring-back in wire, the inside diameter (ID) will never be the exact size of the mandrel on which it was wound. I always refer to a ring as “wound on a 3.5 mm mandrel,” instead of the exact ID size.

working withsquare-wire jump rings Aspect ratio (AR) does not apply to jump rings made from square wire. If you work with square-wire jump rings for a while, you will develop a feel for what sizes work with differ-ent weaves. If your project calls for round-wire rings and you wish to use square, first try square-wire rings that have a 0.5–1 mm larger inside diameter (ID) than the ID called for in the project. If that does not work, it will be all trial and error; a thinner gauge and/or a larger ID may be the solution.