I'm MWW's "Featured Member of the Month"!

I feel honored!  Almost a bit guilty, for I'm already having too much fun mailling!  But it's still nice to have a pat on the back by those I respect:-)

Chainmaille Watch Band in Oops Weave

I've long had an obsession with watch bands, handmade watch band, that is, of course!

Back in my bead weaving days, I made a free form (mostly peyote-based) watch band, in many shades and shapes of blue beads.  That tickled me for a very long time!  Got it?  A long "time"?!! :-)

Fast forward.  Watch bands have also been a popular application (hey, an app!) for chainmaille.  Those tiny rings are perfect attachment to any watch face with mini tension bars for changing watch bands.

Just about any basic chainmaille weaves can be used for watch bands, with the key being a weave that is dense but low profile, flexible but sturdy.  As I searched and researched, the winner in my book is still my all time favorite, Oops!  AKA, European 4 in 1 Unbalanced.

Oops weave is very fluid, fabric-like, yet very strong to stand up to daily wear and tear.

Speaking of daily wear, for the band closure, I selected a 5-point tube slider for easy on and off.  The slider also has a small magnet built inside the ends of the tube to help "guide and attract" the opposite end in place.

Oh, and I love this nice and BIG watch face, with BIG numbers.  Yes, it measures over 1 1/2" across.  With all this surface area, it's only 1/4" in thickness.  Not ultra thin, but thin and light weight enough to fit comfortably over the wrist.

The total length for the watch and band is right at 7", with the Oops band at 1" wide, and the tube slider closed at 1 1/8" wide.  The Oops band can be slightly lengthened at 3/16" increment to fit a bigger wrist.

The metal used for the chainmaille band is bright aluminum, a light weight, no maintenance metal.  The material of the tube slider is plated in platinum color.  The watch face has a stainless steel case, acrylic window, with quartz movement.

For complete view of the watch/band, please visit my Picasa album here.

Bollywood by way of Byzantine

If you already speak Maillese (yep, that's a word now, in my dictionary), you may think, "Byzantine? Where?"  Ahh, but they're there; see them?  This is a version of the Staggered Byzantine family that hit the sweet spot right in between Staggered Byzantine Halves and Sheet.  So maybe, a one-row sheet? Hee hee...

Even if you're not a maille-head, I hope you'll still find this bracelet a joy to hold and wear, just for the pure delight of the curves, the colors, and the gentle hug on your wrist.

Made of small, light weight bright aluminum jump rings, the frame work of the bracelet alone is no small feat, consisting of over 480 jump rings, while remaining flexible and almost elastic.

For as much as I believe less is more, sometimes, more is just so much better:-)  I could never resist adding pops of colors here and there.  And if you don't mind me saying, the random combination of red and gold beads adds an opulent, exotic flair.  Can you say, Bollywood?!!! :-)

Specs:

Rings: BA, from TRL, 19 swg, 9/64" ID.

Beads: Faceted glass cylinder beads, strung on SoftFlex wire.

Clasp: 3-point tube slider.

The bracelet measures at 7 3/4" long, just a tad shy of 1" wide, low side-profile at 3/16" thick.

This item is available for purchase or special order in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.

Custom orders welcome.  Please also note that use of different metals and beads may result in slightly different length and width, as well as clasp to accommodate the overall design.

More views available here.

Comments and critiques welcome.

Moorish Rose Cuff

Five days and five nights, that's how long it took me to finish this cuff, my first Moorish Rose, with beads!

Moorish Rose is a chainmaille weave that directly connects 6-ring mobius in sheet form, as first recorded by djgm on MailleArtisans.org.

A relatively straight forward idea, linking mobi to mobi, what's so difficult about it?  Not much, that's if you have a full understanding of mobius weave, which I don't...

But it's so pretty, and there's the detail, step-by-step, fantastic tutorial by Xander; I got to give it a try.  And that's over 5 days ago...

Here's what I ended up with, my first Moorish Rose cuff, with a red drop bead set in the center of every mobius.  Four-row, 1" wide, 7 1/2" long, closes with a 4-ring tube slider.

Not many other chainmaille bracelets took me this long to do.  Granted, a large part of the 5 days was about reading the tutorial, testing rings of various AR's and materials, taking rings apart, fixing mistakes, scouting the net for tips and tricks; but the tough part was the fact that there isn't many Moorish Roses out there; I literally had to piece clues together.

Ahh, but the result is worth it! I like the red beads, they always remind me of pomegranate seeds:-)  

Under bright lights, doesn't it look just like a work of stained glass?!

Specs:

Main body: TRL BA rings, 19 swg, 1/4" ID, actual AR is close to 6.9; a tad too big on their own, but perfect with inset beads; total of 20 columns, over 450 rings.

Clasp point: TRL BA, 19 swg, 3/16" ID, to even out the ends before attaching to the tube slider.

Beads: Glass beads, drop shape, top drilled hole, red with light AB coating, strung on SoftFlex wire.

OK, now that the prototype is done; next will be in stainless steel or niobium.  To be honest, BA is just too weak at this AR, but for testing purpose, works out just fine.

More pictures of the cuff?  Check them here.

W.H.I.B.U.T. - as of Feb. 7, 2012

Been a while since my last post; not that I've not been hard at work; the fact is, I hardly ever worked (hee, hee...)  I just play with rings, lots and lots of rings:-) Put one ring through a ring, around a ring, a few rings at a time, close the ring; and rinse and repeat and repeat, and repeat....



OK, here's the a closer-up of the Japanese family:

and here's part of the European family:

Razzle Dazzle, Starbuck Takes on All Eight

This is a substantial, one of a kind, statement necklace, not to be ignored or forgotten.

Nearly 4 oz. of sterling silver in 5 different gauges and sizes went into this project. The jump rings are the highest quality by Spiderchain. I was fascinated by her Graduated Serpentine design, and here is my asymmetrical spin on that.

 

The necklace measures at 22 inches long, plus the symbolic "Viper" pendant at 2 inches long, which is my original design with sterling silver and jewelry brass rings.

The sterling silver toggle is secured and user friendly:-)

  

Inspirations

"Razzle Dazzle, Starbuck Takes on All Eight" is inspired by the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (BSG) Season 1, Episode 4, Act of Contrition. Starbuck's determination to "do her job" also lead her face to face against 8 Cylon Raiders. Tigh uttered in disbelief, "Starbuck is going to take on all eight?" gave me the idea of creating this necklace.

Special Feature

The brass-mixed pendant is a stylized Viper; the 8 chambers of Full Persian above are the 8 "Raiders", each with a red anodized aluminum rings holding in a Swarovski crystal. The asymmetrical graduated Full Persian hints at the more evolved, more organic Raider interior.  

 

 Now you know:-)

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I have long been fascinated by the stories of BSG and totally enjoyed watching the entire show. As I watch (and re-watch) each episode, I create a piece of daisykreates original handmade jewelry with inspirations taken from the name of the episode, a line in the episode, a scene, an act, or a soundtrack.

These jewelry pieces are not endorsed by anyone related to BSG, and are not intended to infringe upon any of BSG rights. I am an admirer, showing appreciation for the best TV program EVER! If any official BSG representative feels otherwise, please let me know; the last thing I want from this line is to upset the BSG creation.

Check out here for more views of the necklace.

This beautiful necklace is available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.

Nio Bubbles Earrings

Simple and elegant. My Nio Bubbles earrings are another @daisykreates original. Combining two of my favorite metals, niobium and stainless steel, I aim to create a pair of shoulder-duster length earrings that are light weight, delicate, fun to wear, and eye-catching!


These earrings measure 3 inches long from bottom of the surgical steel ear wires, down to the Swarovski crystals in Jet 2xAB, and each dotted with 5 colorful mobius bubbles in rainbow anodized niobium rings.


All materials are maintenance free, perfect for your next trip to the Bahamas, or to the farmers market:-)


This item is also available for purchase on my online store daisykreates.artfire.com as "Nio Bubbles Earrings".

Click here for more views of the earrings.

Sterling Silver Oops Finger Ring

One of my all time favorite chainmaille patterns: Oops:-) But ahh, there is nothing "oops" about this ring!  Precision-crafted from bare sterling wire, hand coiled and cut with a jeweler's saw into hundreds of tiny jump rings, then woven together to create this awesome ring. Talk about labor of love!


Unlike most commercially produced finger ring, chainmaille rings have the advantage of having a bold presence without the weight.  What is most unique about this ring is in the Oops pattern, where each jump ring interlocks its neighboring rings at such angles that produces the strongest hold with the thinnest ring shank/wall.

Enough tech talk:-) Here are the ring specs: The ring is size 5 1/4, measures at 7/16 inch wide, 1/8 inch thick, weighing at tad over 1/3 troy oz.

Please visit this album for all photos of this lovely chainmaille finger ring.

Byzantine Stars Earrings

Here is a pair of earrings worthy of its name. Beautifully woven of an array of colorful anodized niobium rings, with sterling silver rings marking each point, and sterling silver chains trailing underneath. These darlings are a joy to have!

Although these earrings are based on the most classic Byzantine pattern, arranging 5 of them into a star shape, together with the long dangles, brings them into the 21th century.

The earrings measure at 2 1/2 inches long from the bottom of the sterling ear wires, 3/4 inch wide from point to point of the stars, and are made entirely of sterling silver and anodized niobium. The stars are solid but still light weight to wear comfortably throughout the day.

Click here for more views of the earrings.

Elfsheet Bracelet

Not much else beats the soft glow of this bronze and silver mix bracelet draped over your wrist like a lace ruffle from the Victorian days.

Made in the mischievous Elfweave pattern, this chainmaille bracelet will stay behaved on you, thanks to the 2 rows of Elf interlocking each other in opposite direction, forming a minimalist version of Elfsheet.  The handmade S clasp has a whimsical heart shape echoing the Elfsheet pattern throughout.

The bracelet measures at 7/8 inch wide, 7 1/2 inches long, with an extension to fit up to 8 1/4 inches; made in bronze and bright aluminum, except for the handmade clasp which is silver plated enamel copper.

See more of this bracelet here.  This bracelet is also available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.

3x3 Bracelet

This is your new everyday, go-to bracelet! Made of stainless steel and rainbow anodized niobium, it is fun and comfortable, goes with any outfit, takes you effortlessly from day to night, from work to play!

The wavy design of the bracelet, a daisykreates' original, is eye-catching and at times almost hypnotizing with all the rings orbiting and crisscrossing one another. Built on the simple pattern of 3x3 (hence, the name:-), the 2 different sizes of rings have the perfect aspect ratios that allow enough room to fit in one another, but still so small that the big rings must stay stacked, therefore masquerading as a 2x2, or a Half Persian 2-in-1. So fun! You will have to try it yourself:-)

The bracelet measures at tad under 1/2 inch wide, 7 1/2 inches long, ends with a stainless stain lobster clasp. The bracelet will fit up to 8 1/2 inches when hooked to the last ring of the extension.

I also added a tri-daisy bead at the end to give it a little of my trade mark (if I can call it one:-) Maybe one day, I'll make a batch in my own design... Ahh, so much to try, the list is getting longer by the minute!

Want to see some more pix? Here you go.

Thinking about picking one of these up for your loved one (or yourself)? This lovely bracelet is now available at my online studio, check it out!


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Plum Flower Dream Catcher Pendant

A totally unique chainmaille pendant that is both delicate and unbreakable. The plum flower motif is a brand new daisykreates' original design for the spring season; beautifully presented in a frame of steel ring, which is one of many fabulous designs from Joshua Diliberto of Maillers Worldwide.

This is one of my many experiments with the Joshua's idea of mini mailled dream catchers.  Given the fact that this is really up to the individual designs, every ring size matters, as well as the big ring, and how tight or loose the motif will be when framed.  But I can see lots of possibilities now that a big ring on the outside can be used to anchor something not-so-symmetrical or rigid. I totally love it!

Here're the specs:
The pendant measures 1 1/2 inches across; it is made with bright aluminum rings and the frame ring is steel for just the right weight, all making the pendant entirely maintenance free. The genuine leather cord is 18 inches long, in rich dark brown and closes with a sterling silver clasp.

Want to take this cool trinket home with you?  It is available for custom orders.


Check out more pix here!

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Blooming Fuchsias Earrings

Another brand new, original design of mine!

This pair of earrings literally "bloomed" right in front of my eyes.  I didn't plan on it, never even had a sketch; I was playing with an idea from Spider's Helm necklace, pairing large and small rings for something whimsical.

After 3 pairs of large rings, I got side tracked, as usual, and thought "what would happen if I just connect the 3 pairs into a circle?..." From there, it was a free fall; no longer me weaving the rings, but the rings guiding my hands, almost telling me where they want to be, and voila! There it is!

The form and the colors just scream "Fuchsia", don't they? The Black Ice rings from TRL may not be the typical shade for fuchsias, but they come in so many fantastic colors, specially my favorite has long been Midnight Diva (I know, it really should be Diva Midnight, but hey, these are my earrings!)

So there they are, "Midnight Diva", the first in my new line of fuchsia earrings.

Stay tuned; there'll be more to come!  In the mean time, check out more pix here.

More Oops Rings

Five more, to be exact! :-)

I started out wanting to fix my first Oops ring so that it's more of a "common" size. So that took a while to take apart the original, reduced 1 column, then split it horizontally into two, and this is where I started having lots of "Whaaa...?" moments.

Learning how to do Oops went really fast for me; that usually also meant I never fully understood how it's supposed to be.  Ah, but nothing like repairing a weave to truly let it sink in.

And when it did (that's aka. the light bulb moment), it finally made sense for me; then it happened, a temporary insanity set in, I made one in sterling 20 gauge (awg), then a 22, both in saw cut rings by me:-) Then I noticed I have some bright aluminum rings, WD 0.75mm, from TRL, that are perfect size for Oops; so that's another one (we'll call this a prototype:-)

But the last one is my favorite: Over 7 feet of 24 gauge 1/2 hard sterling, wound on 1.6mm mandrel, then saw cut into tiny ant-size rings, woven together for the most comfortable ring I've ever made or seen!

I lost track of time in making this ring; but it's about 4 long evenings and nights, lots of searching for dropped rings, several 'huh" moments, and a few times swearing, not to mention some unavoidable silver saw dust that may be lodged in my lungs ...

But this is my pride and joy! Light weight and sturdy, slides on my finger with ease but won't fall out when I wash my hands. Giving myself a big pat on the back. Good job, Daisy:-)
For more photos, please check out here.