Chainmaille Weave Ideas: Glass Rings (9.5 mm x 3.5 mm)

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Wondering what chainmaille project to tackle with glass rings?  Check out the post below for weave ideas as well as where to get instructions for each one.

Weave Ideas: Glass Rings (9.5 mm x 3.5 mm)

Our shiny glass rings are a great way to take your chainmaille to the next level.  Our glass rings are available in more than a dozen colors and can be integrated into a number of common weaves.  Try one of the weaves below or experiment with creating your own.  Take even more inspiration from our artist-designed kits that use glass rings including our most popular kit ever, Glass Caterpillar.

Hint: See a weave you’d like to try below?  Pick up your glass rings and then hop on over to our Ring Picker tool to quickly shop for all the jump rings on your supply list.

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These samples combine our Czech glass rings with our base metal jump rings (aluminum, copper, jewelry brass and anodized aluminum.)










European 4-in-1 (Mesh)

T18 4 rpi
Glass Rings 8 rpi

Mesh & Rosettes
DVD Vol I

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Shaggy Loops

L16 4 rpi
Glass Rings 8 rpi

Shaggy Loops PDF
(FREE!)
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Japanese Lace

L18 18 rpi
Glass Rings 8 rpi

Japanese Lace PDF + Hardcopy Instructions
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Japanese Bulls-Eye

Z16 2 rpi
N18 2 rpi
K18 4rpi
L18 2 rpi
Glass Rings 2 rpi

Japanese Bulls-Eye PDF + Hardcopy Instructions
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Captive Inverted Round (CIR)

O18 4 rpi
Glass Rings 8 rpi

Jacob’s DNA Ladder PDF + Hardcopy Instructions
(Too stiff for a bracelet, but works well for a necklace.)
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Celtic Visions

T16 6 rpi
H16 8 rpi
Glass Rings 2 rpi

Celtic Visions PDF + Hardcopy Instructions
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Beez to Butterflies/Gridlock Byzantine hybrid variation

L16 12 rpi
L18 12 rpi
Glass Rings 2 rpi

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Here’s even MORE inspiration! We featured glass rings in November 2011 for our Featured Product of the Month contest and this very cool piece by Wing N. was the winner.

Want to participate in the contest? Find out what’s happening this month by clicking on the category “Featured Product of the Month”.

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Check out some of our chainmaille kits and instructions that use glass rings including:


Bold & Brilliant Byzantine
(Intermediate)
by Kat Wisneiwski

 

Glistening Bloom
(Intermediate)
by Kat Wisneiwski

 

Akimbo
(Intermediate)
by Kat Wisneiwski

 

Inclined to Shine
(Intermediate)
by Kat Wisneiwski

 

Glass Caterpillar
(Advanced)
by Kat Wisneiwski

Make Your Chainmaille Sparkle with Beautiful Miyuki Beads and a New Glass Ring Color

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We are really loving the bling around here this month.  First, we started selling á la carte packs of the 6mm & 8mm Swarovski® crystal beads used in some of our jewelry kits – now we’re excited to announce that we are upgrading the seed beads used in some of our other popular maille projects!  Our Glass Caterpillar, Glistening Bloom, and Inclined to Shine kits will all soon get a boost from beautiful Miyuki Beads.

And it doesn’t stop there: we’re also introducing a new glass ring color to our lineup. (Which color? We’re not sure yet. You tell us which color you want, and the most popular choices will join our inventory!)

We decided to upgrade our seed beads to the Miyuki brand largely on the recommendation of the artist behind these kits, Kat Wisniewski.  I asked Kat this week why she loves these beads (and why she thinks you’ll love them too!)  She said….

 

I like them because they are Japanese!  Enough said.  [laughs]  They have a slightly larger outside diameter, which makes them more prominent in various jewelry designs.  They are also extremely consistent in size (both outer and inner), which is important for a streamlined look and reduces waste from beads that are mis-shapen.

 

If that doesn’t sell you on why you’ll love the way they take your chainmaille to the next level, maybe a sneak peak of some new colors will do the trick.  Help us decide which new glass ring colors to start carrying by clicking the link below.  After you submit your vote, you’ll see a sneak peak of some of our favorite colors of our new Miyuki beads!

VOTE ON NEW GLASS RING COLORS!

 

 

Coordinating Swarovski® crystal beads & anodized niobium jump rings (B3 quick reference guide)

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We now have the 6mm and 8mm Swarovski® Crystal Beads used in some of our jewelry kits available for purchase á la carte on our findings page.  Our selection of crystal bead colors were chosen specifically to match our anodized niobium colors, originally inspired by projects from CHAINED that combine both elements.  For your convenience, we have put together the chart below to show you which niobium color coordinates with each bead color.  The sparkle of these beads and the unique shine of anodized niobium are two peas in a pod and can create some really beautiful pieces.  To create more contrast, mix and match the colors or pair the beads with silver or base metal rings.  The possibilities are endless…what will you create?

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#0 Unanodized Niobium + Crystal Satin








#5 Metallic + Crystal Golden Shadow








#10 Smokey Topaz + Light Colorado Topaz








#15 Coffee + Smoked Topaz








#18 Plum + Amethyst








#20 Midnight + Purple Velvet








#25 Sapphire + Sapphire








#30 Light Blue + Aquamarine








#35 Silver Lining + Indian Sapphire








#40 Arctic Moss + Chrysolite








#45 Green Tea + Khaki








#50 Persian Gold + Lime








#55 Curry + Topaz








#60 Rose + Rose








#65 Magenta + Fuchsia








#70 Grape + Violet








#75 Iridescent Bluevery + Capri Blue AB








#80 Teal + Indicolite








#85 Emerald + Ernite








#90 Lime + Peridot








#95 Celery + Olivine








Help us Donate $1,000 to benefit Arts Education!

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Rebeca’s book CHAINED has been out for nearly a year now and is still topping sales charts and introducing the joy (and addiction) of chainmaille jewelry to people all over the world.  When we first released CHAINED last year, we made this blog post highlighting a very special philanthropic angle we took to selling the book on our website.  For every signed copy of the book we have sold, we have donated $5 to benefit Franklin Fine Arts Center, a Chicago Public Magnet elementary school in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood focused on the visual and performing arts.  You have helped us raise approximately $800 so far and we are thrilled to be able to make that donation to a school that is cultivating a love for the arts that we all share.

We will calculate the total number of autographed copies sold (and $5 donations accrued) around the third week of November this year and we would love to reach a goal of $1,000 for them.  We are only about 20 books away from meeting the goal and with your help, we can achieve it!

If you already own the book, share this blog post with a fellow crafter who does not or maybe even purchase one as a holiday present for someone you’d like to share your love of making chainmaille jewelry with.  We will keep you posted as we near the goal!

BUY AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF CHAINED to help Franklin Fine Arts Center!



Congratulations to our first Featured Product of the Month Contest Winner!

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Voting for our first Featured Product of the Month contest is officially closed and the winner as chosen by you is……

 

Lia H. and her piece “I took it as a dare…”


Congratulations, Lia!  Your creativity has earned you a B3 gift certificate for $25!  To claim your prize, please send an email to [email protected].


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Thanks to EVERYONE who participated in our first contest.  You all were incredibly inspiring and made the contest a total success (we had many a debate in the studio over who we thought would win – there were so many awesome submissions!)  We can’t wait to see what you come up with for October using our size D20 jump rings.  Submissions for this month are now open and close on the 15th so make sure to get your photo posted to our wall on Facebook before then!

Happy Weaving!