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The Japanese 4-in-1 chain, in its basic form, joins

jump rings to create a square; for each large jump

ring in the center row, there are four small jump

rings linking it to the rest of the pattern. For my version,

I doubled the small rings and used a texture-infusing layer

of rosettes in place of the large rings. While 8-in-3 might

be more accurate, it’s a bit cumbersome, so I gave the

pattern a more graceful name: Irena. The bracelet is

pleasantly challenging to make, but you can finish it in a

day, if you’re motivated. The chain takes on a graphic look

when you mix oxidized and bare sterling silver jump rings.

If you love geometric chain mail, you’ll find rich

territory in Japanese chain mail weaves. Some can be

extremely intricate, displaying hexagonal shapes that

will test your weaving skills.

TwıstA few simple variations add texture and depth to a traditional chain.by Diana Ferguson

PROJECTBEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE | CHAIN MAIL

Try a New

in the Japanese 4-in-1

FCT-

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ON

0216

_ART

61 The instructions in this project make a 71 ⁄2-in. (19.1 cm) bracelet; you can easily extend or shorten it to suit your wrist.

Make rosettes. Place 252 20-gauge (0.8 mm) 4.75 mm-inside-diameter (ID) jump rings on your work surface. Carefully close 84 of the jump rings, creating a smooth, almost invisible closure (see “Double-Check Your Closures,” page 36). Open 168 of the jump rings.

NOTE: These instructions are for a 71⁄2-in. (19.1 cm) bracelet (including the closure). To customize the length of your bracelet, keep in mind that four rosettes equal 11⁄8 in. (29 mm).

TIP: When you’re making chain mail, use a bead mat. The soft surface keeps jump rings in place and allows you to pick up the rings more easily.

Using flatnose pliers, pick up an open jump ring, and use it to scoop up a closed jump ring. Close the open ring. Lay the component on your work surface so the rings nestle [1].

Slide an open ring through the component, passing through both closed rings [2]. Close the open ring, and lay the component on your work surface. Nudge the component with your pliers to create a shape that looks like a nest or flower [3]. Congratulations! You’ve created your first rosette. Now, repeat to make 83 more.

Oxidize the rosettes. String a wire through the 84 rosettes, and twist the wire closed [4].

NOTE: Gathering the rosettes like this will allow you to patinate them at the same time, resulting in consistent oxidation.

Prepare a liver of sulfur solution according to the manufacturer’s instruc-tions. Dip the rosettes in the solution for a few seconds, swirling them for even coverage. Rinse them in cool water (I use a bowl of ice water). Continue dipping and rinsing until they have a dark patina [5].

TIP: Building up a patina gradu-ally with multiple short dips in liver of sulfur gives you more control over the level of darkness and will also prevent the patina from flaking off over time.

Tumble-polish the rosettes. Leaving the rosettes on the wire, tumble-polish them for 5–10 minutes to remove any residual patina and make them more pleasant to work with. Rinse the rosettes with tap water, then remove them from the wire, and lay them on a soft towel to air-dry. Set the wire aside to use with another oxidation project.

materials ■ Argentium sterling silver jump rings:

■ 20-gauge (0.8 mm), 4.75 mm inside diameter (ID), 252

■ 20-gauge (0.8 mm), 2.75 mm ID, 12 ■ 18-gauge (1.0 mm), 3.5 mm ID, 238

■ Three-loop Argentium sterling silver slide clasp

additional tools & supplies ■ Liver of sulfur

RECOMMENDED READING

For a great way to start exploring Japanese chain mail weave structures, Diana Ferguson recommends www.mailleartisans.org.

1 2 3

4 5

facetjewelry.com©2011 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

36

double-check your closures

• Make this pattern really sparkle by skipping the patina. Or, patinate the entire piece, then add dimension by rubbing the bracelet with 0000 steel wool to remove some of the darkness.

• Experiment with other metals. 14k gold-filled or copper jump rings would be beautiful. Or, consider making the rosettes with anodized niobium jump rings and linking them with sterling silver.

• Experiment with jump ring sizes. What about a chunky

version using rosettes made with square wire? Play with different wire types and ring sizes until you find the look and feel you’re after.

• Create earrings using a 1-in. (25.5 mm) segment of the weave. Grab the leftmost rosette, and allow the chain to fall into its natural parallelogram shape. Use a couple of small jump rings to attach an ear wire. Voilà!

• Create a narrower bracelet by using two chains instead of three.

6 7 8

9 10 11Make three long chains. Lay the rosette components out on your work surface as shown [6], orienting them in the same direction. Flip the top ring of each com- ponent over to form a rosette [7].

Open 238 18-gauge (1.0 mm) 3.5 mm ID jump rings. Using flatnose pliers, grasp an open jump ring, add two rosettes to it, and close the open ring. Repeat the path with a second 3.5 mm ring [8].

NOTE: Take care not to thread the 3.5 mm ring through the rosette’s individual rings but, rather, through the center of all three.

Use a 3.5 mm ring to scoop up the two- rosette component you just completed [9]. Add another rosette, and close the open ring. Repeat the path with a second 3.5 mm ring, and close it. Keep adding rosettes in this manner [10] until your chain is 7 in. (17.8 cm). Set the chain aside.

Make two more rosette chains, each the same length [11].

Connect the three chains. Pick up the rosette on one end of a chain, letting the chain hang freely. Slide a 3.5 mm ring through the rosette. Pick up a second

design options

Beautiful chain mail jewelry relies on smooth, almost invisible closures. Magnifiers will help you see the details, but your sense of touch is equally important. When you’re closing rings, run a fingertip over the join with the index finger of your nondominant hand. Make adjustments as necessary, using your pliers to gently wiggle the edges of the ring into place.

ASK THE ARTIST

37

What have you found in your discard pile that triggered a new design? “During the height of the steampunk craze, I was inspired by a pair of tatted cuffs I had

seen on Etsy. I wanted to make a bracelet to replicate the lacy feel of the cuffs, so I created a large number of jump ring rosettes and oxidized them for an edgier quality. I set them aside and got distracted by other projects (as often happens). Months later, I came across the rosettes in their tin and decided to do something with them. The end result was the Irena bracelet. By the time I created it, I was no longer thinking steampunk at all, yet the bracelet still carries hints of that lacy cuff I had been so entranced with.”Contact: www.dianafergusonjewelry.com

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chain, slide an end rosette through the open ring, and close the open ring. Repeat the path with a second 3.5 mm ring.

Continue connecting the two chains by sliding 3.5 mm rings through corre-sponding rosettes [12]. Add the third rosette chain in the same manner [13].

Add a clasp. Use three pairs of 20-gauge (0.8 mm) 2.75 mm ID jump rings to attach one half of a 3-loop slide clasp [14] to each end of the three-chain bracelet.

Tumble-polish the bracelet. Finish your bracelet by tumble-polishing it for 15–30 minutes. Then, place it on a soft towel and allow it to air-dry.

If you do a lot of chain mail, invest in good pliers. While pricey, they are worth their weight in gold. You’ll be able to work faster and more accurately, and you’ll experience much less hand and wrist fatigue. A good pair

of pliers will last for many years. Look for ones that are lightweight with a return spring and a cushioned hand surface. (Diana Ferguson likes Lindstrom Rx.)

Process photos by Diana Ferguson.

don’t skimp on pliers