Celtic Labyrinth, or December?

My very first contact with chainmaille was a Byzantine chain, as demo'ed by David Scott Plumlee on an episode of Beads, Baubles, and Jewels.  I was hooked by how the tiny little jump rings of exactly same sizes and shapes morphed into this mesmerizing pattern.

I'll bet I'm not the only one that started their chainmaille addiction, uh, I meant "journey", from this weave:-)

There's a reason for this Byzantine Effect; and this Celtic Labyrinth pendant is a good example.  Look closely and you'll see this weave is another play on the same weave but with rings of rather different AR's.

And I do like making this weave with the Byzantine flip method, which is building the pendant inside out starting from the center rings.  This allows for a sturdy, immobile structure if you wish.  The other method, which builds the 2x2 chain first, inserts center rings last, seems difficult for me to properly close the center rings, i.e., no room to land my pliers.

So, what about December?  Right, the other weave that actually works exactly the same way as Celtic Labyrinth, but with different number of points; December as it's recorded in MAIL weave library has 6 points; Celtic Labyrinth has 4.  Those who came to chainmaille before me had already discussed this on MAIL.

I experimented with a few 5 pointed ones in different AR combinations.

Isn't it amazing that while they are all made in the same manner, the results are quite different, even with some 3-D effect!

Be it Celtic Labyrinth (Unit) or December, the influence of Byzantine is not hard to see, and I now have a much deeper appreciation for Byzantine weave's versatility.

Any insight learnt from making this pendant?  When needed, square wire rings are quite excellent in increasing the stability of the weave.  Now you know!! :-)

More views of the pendant, as well as my experiments, are here and here in my Picasa web albums.

Chainmaille Temari Pendants

I think of these as my chainmaille Temari pendants, although the die-hard maillers would perhaps insist on their technical name: Japanese Dodecahedron 10 in 3.

In any case, one thing is true:

These little balls are totally addictive!!

There is never making just one of them...

Difficult for me to use only one color; must mix them up a bit:-)

OK, so maybe just one of these in a single color... How about blue?  Very cool color, blue, that is, with a little on the indigo side... and a little on the purple side:-)

Seriously, isn't this so much more interesting than just the same shade of blue? :-)

I like using the color rings for the surface layer of the sphere, and the bright aluminum rings on the outer connections; the colors stay protected from wear, while the shiny silvery rings bring out the highlights, and echo the reflection from the glass marble in the center of the ball.

 

Strung on 24" smooth rubber cord, 2mm thick, closes with a dainty sterling silver clasp, the Temari pendant is just a little over 1" in diameter, perfect size for everything in your wardrobe!!

These cute chainmaille Temari ball necklaces are now available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Thinking about different color combinations?  How about dropping me a note in the "Contact Form" to arrange for a custom order?!

More views of the necklace available in my Picasa Web album.

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Rainbow Crossing

I've always admired Rebeca Mojica's chainamaille work; that's why when her book "Chained" was published, it created a major buzz in our world of maille unlike any other had. Rightfully so, her book is a must have for anyone and everyone wanting to start, already mastered at, or just interested in the art of making chainmaille jewelry.

There are so many awesome designs in the book; but my love at first sight is the Japanese Cross pendant, right on the front cover.  Simple, Elegant, the spirit of Zen!  I recreated her design in this very colorful version; I called it Rainbow Crossing.

The wide array of colors bring out the fun and playful side of the Japanese weave, one of my favorite!  Instead of prim and proper, my Rainbow Crossing takes your eyes all over the inner working of the weave, following the brilliant hues, all the way up the cherry red cord, you cannot help but smile!!

Made of jump rings of multi colors enameled copper, bright aluminum, and stainless steel, the pendant measures at 1.5 inches long, 1.25 inches across, and is strung on a cherry red rubber cord, closes with a dainty sterling silver clasp.  The cord is 2mm thick, 18 inches long.

This item is also available for purchase in my ArtFire shop.

For more views of the pendant, click here.

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