Pretty chainmaille!

I have just ordered a LOT of chainmaille for very cheap. I buy rings from a website called Blue Buddha Boutique, where they make cheap, quality rings. They have a page where they sell a variety of rings for even cheaper, because they didn't make the cut in order to be in regular packages.

When I get the chainmaille, I will definitely write a review about the quality, and if it is worth getting these cheaper packages. They are in different sizes, may have paint chipping off, or are slightly cut wrong, or a myriad of other things, but what I am worried about most is whether I will have enough to make nice designs. I figure I will, because they are measured by grams, so depending on the weight I will probably get enough. I got 50g of aluminum, which is a very light metal, easy to work with, so I should get about as many rings as the other two, 100g each of copper, and jewelry brass. Or more. Or less.

I have only worked with aluminum rings,  stainless steel rings, and copper wire. I am glad I didn't get any stainless steel, as it is very hard to bend open and closed. Of course, that way it's a lot harder to accidentally yank apart a piece. Aluminum and copper are much easier to work with. They bend open easily with pliers. Bigger rings are easy to open with your fingers, even. Aluminum is cheap and it is much lighter than other metals, but if you made a tunic with it, it wouldn't protect you very well.

Tangent: At Radcon 6, my boyfriend and I went to a panel that taught us to make chainmaille. Or, rather, gave us chainmaille and we simply started working before the guy had a chance to tell us how. At one point, my boyfriend tried on a chainmaille tunic. When I looked up, the guy running the panel was stabbing him in the stomach! With a real knife! He wasn't hurt in the slightest, but my god looking up and seeing that was terrifying!

I have a friend that could tell you more about metals, but I am telling you about chainmaille in this post. I don't make armor out of it, I make jewelry.

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I prefer simpler stuff, but I am trying to sell things to OTHER people who don't exactly match my taste. With these new packages coming in soon, I hope to try more weaves involving different sizes of rings in one piece. This creates awesome jewelry the likes I have never attempted before!

Now, making chainmaille jewelry is difficult to start. You have to choose whether to MAKE your own rings, which is APPARENTLY cheaper than buying them, like I do. I have tried this DIY ring making, and it is NOT cheap. I have friends who have read online that it is cheaper to make their own rings and have stood by their internet knowledge, but I have tried this and it is absolutely not true. There are so many things that you need just to get started, not to mention actually making them. The biggest problem is finding wire. If you are not incredibly serious about this, and attempt to find wire at hardware stores and craft stores, you aren't going to find any. It is either too soft, too hard, too easily chipped, or rubs off metal into your hands. You want nice wire? Good luck finding it. I gave up, because I knew I could buy rings cheap online.

CHEAP.

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If you want to start making chainmaille, I recommend buying rings first, instead of investing a lot of money and time into making rings and then finding out that you can't figure out how to weave them together. There are plenty of websites with tutorials, such as CGmaille, or M.A.I.L. Check out Spiderchain for more links to tutorials. There are also books, which I haven't looked for yet, that you can buy at craft stores, book stores, or online. You can buy rings online, (I suggest Blue Buddha Boutique, because it's much easier than The Ring Lord imo) or at craft stores. I have found them at Micheals, and a small amount at Walmart. You could also buy rings that are meant to be jump rings, but these are usually not as quality as actual chainmaille.

What's the difference between jump rings and chainmaille? A lot of people call chainmaille jump rings, and that really irritates me. Jump rings are not made with the same quality, they are thinner with a large diameter, bend too easily, and are made for connecting jewelry to clasps. They are ALL the same silver color. Chainmaille comes in different sizes, different colors, different metals, different thickness... etc.

Jump Ring Jewelry

Chainmaille is fun, frustrating, a challenge, with a beautiful outcome, whether it's armor or a piece of jewelry. It's definitely a recommended activity for those looking for some creative outlet!

Have any questions you think I might be able to answer? Go ahead and leave a comment.