Simplicity

Sometimes I like the simple things the best. I made 2 pairs of these earrings - one pair for my shop and one pair for me to wear. I wear mine all the time.

Byzantine - My Favorite Weave

Byzantine is a very well know chainmaille weave. In fact, it is the first one that a lot of mailers learn to make. I know it was my first. Byzantine quickly became a favorite of mine because of its versatility. It lends itself well to earrings, bracelets and necklaces as well.

Below you can see some examples of how different Byzantine can look.

These earrings are made from the Byzantine weave with Jasper beads dangling from the bottom.











This bracelet is a weave known as Beez to Butterflies. It is made from linking vertical sections of Byzantine together.











This shows another way to link Byzantine together. Full Byzantine segments are connected by rings in the middle.

Here is an example of Byzantine segments that are connected with larger rings instead of being connected directly to each other.











This version of Byzantine is known as Romanov. Segments of Byzantine are used to surround a bead or gemstone and are then connected with larger rings.










And lastly, this necklace shows Byzantine in its purest form. Byzantine segments are connected to make a long Byzantine necklace










If you are interested in chainmaille make sure you learn Byzantine. From there it is easy to let your imagination take over.

Rustic Earrings

I love how these earrings turned out. I made simple hoops out of copper wire and then hammered it to give them some texture. I decided to oxidize them instead of leaving the copper shiny. I gave them a quick dunk in liver of sulphur and this is how they came out. They remind me of something rustic that you might find in an old barn. I'm going to make myself a pair and I am hoping to duplicate the patina exactly.

These are available in my Etsy store

A Byzantine Variation

Byzantine is one of the most well known chainmaille weaves. It is the first one that a lot of people learn when they decide to give chainmaille a try. Byzantine is used for necklaces, bracelets, earrings and even key fobs. It is also easy to make variations of byzantine. You can do as I have done and add small byzantine sections to the main weave. You can also weave 2 seperate lengths and then join them together with smaller sections. Byzantine is one of those weaves that you can take wherever your imagination leads you.