9 Simple Chainmaille Projects Using Spikes

Combine Aluminum Jump Rings and Acrylic Spikes To Make Beautiful Jewelrychainmaille spike earring on model

These 32 mm silver-color spikes will make your chainmaille jewelry look sharp! Add spikes to existing jewelry patterns to jazz—er, punk— them up. Add a single spike to an earwire for fast & edgy earrings (see final project below). Spikes measure 32 mm long x 5 mm wide. Hole can accommodate up to a 16 SWG ring (1.6 mm). The spikes are super lightweight, too!

All aluminum rings listed below can be purchased via Ringpicker or on Blue Buddha’s aluminum jump rings page.

Purchase spikes today, and make several of these easy projects in one afternoon! Click on any picture for a bigger image you can use as a project diagram to re-create these pieces. If you come up with your own variations, feel free to post them to the Blue Buddha Boutique page on Facebook!

 spikey earring Simple Spike Earring

KK16 x 2 – 16 SWG (1.6 mm) 5/8″ (15.9 mm)
D18 x 4 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm)
copper metal seed beads x 12
spikes x 10
surgical steel earwire x 2

feather mesh earrings with spikes Feather Mesh Spike Earrings

T14 x 2 – 14 SWG (2.0 mm) 3/8″ (9.5 mm)
F18 x 72 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 5/32″ (4.0 mm)
spikes x 2
surgical steel earwire x 2

requires knowledge of European-4-in-1 (mesh)

 triple spike chainmaille earrings silver color Triple Spike Earrings

X12 x 2 – 12 SWG (2.6 mm) 7/16″ (11.1 mm)
F18 x 24 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 5/32″ (4.0 mm)
D18 x 8 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm) <–used to attach earwire, and one for each spike
spikes x 6
surgical steel earwire x 2

Spot the mistake in this photo? We missed a ring. Whoops!

 box weave chainmaille with spike Spiked Box Pendant
J18 x 21 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 7/32″ (5.1 mm)
F18 x 1 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm) <–used to attach spike
spike x 1
pre-made base metal cable chainrequires knowledge of Box Weave
 tapered hoop spike pendant Tapered Loop Pendant with Spike

CC14 x 1 – 14 SWG (2.0 mm) 1.2″ (12.7 mm)
T16 x 1 – 16 SWG (1.6 mm) 7/32″ (5.1 mm)
J18 x 1 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 7/32″ (5.1 mm)
F18 x 4 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm)
D18 x 3 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm)
spike x 1
large base metal pendant bail
pre-made base metal cable chain
 chainmaille mesh spike necklace Spiked Lily Necklace
L16 x 20 – 16 SWG (1.6 mm) 1/4″ (6.4 mm)
F18 x 7 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm)
spikes x 5
pre-made base metal cable chainrequires knowledge of European-4-in-1 (mesh)
 chainmaille rosettes spike necklace Spiked Möbiused Rosettes Necklace

L18 x 72 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/4″ (6.4 mm)
F18 x 11 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm)
P16 x 2 – 16 SWG (1.6 mm) 5/16″ (7.9 mm)
spikes x 5
pre-made base metal cable chain

requires knowledge of European-4-in-1 (mesh) and Mobiused Rosettes

Spot the mistake in this photo? We missed a ring here, too. Whoops!

 simple spike with hoop earring Spike Hoop Earrings
QQQQ12 (aka 1.5″ 12ga) x 2 – 12 SWG (2.6 mm)
F18 x 4 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 5/32″ (4.0 mm) <–per earring, 1 used to attach spike and 1 to hook onto the D18 on the earwire
H18 x 4 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 3/16″ (4.8 mm)
D18 x 2 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm)
spikes x 2
surgical steel earwire x 2
 simplpe spike earrings Basic Spike Earrings

NOTE: If you vend at craft shows, these are PERFECT fast projects to sell at a very accessible price point, or to encourage sales by offering them as “freebies” with purchases above a certain dollar amount.

F18 x 1 – 18 SWG (1.2 mm) 1/8″ (3.2 mm)
spikes x 2
surgical steel earwire x 2

 

 

Chainmaille Weave Ideas: T14 – 14 SWG (2.0 mm) 3/8″ (9.5 mm)

If you’re wondering what chainmaille projects to tackle with those size T14 – 14ga 3/8″ (9.5 mm) rings, check out the post below for weave ideas as well as where to get instructions for each one.

Weaves Idea: T14 – 14 SWG 3/8″ (9.5mm)

Wire Gauge = 14ga SWG (0.08″ / 2.0 mm)
Inner Diameter = 3/8″ (9.5 mm)

Hint: Use our Ring Picker tool to quickly see every metal and color we have available and in stock for this size!

Ring counts below show rings per inch (rpi) as well as how many rings for 7.5″ of material (a bracelet, not including clasp) and for an 18″ necklace.

Wiggle Weave (Möbiused 2-in-2)
T14 = 6 rpi (45 bracelet, 108 necklace)

mobiused 2-in-2 chain black and red

Oval Weave (Persian Dragonscale)
T14 = 18 rpi (135 bracelet, 324 necklace)

Oval persian dragonscale

Möbiused Rosettes
T14 = 14 rpi (105 bracelet, 252 necklace)

mobiused rosettes in purple and turquoise

European 4-in-1 (Mesh)
T14 = 8 rpi (60 bracelet, 144 necklace) for a 3-row strip
approx 9 rings per square inch (if doing a wider piece)

black mesh chainmail

Japanese 12-in-2 (Lace)
T14 = 14 rpi (105 bracelet, 252 necklace)
with
I16 = 27 rpi (203 bracelet, 486 necklace *
* note that this necklace does not curve well so you may wish to create a choker instead)

black and red japanese lace

Half Persian 4-in-1
T14 = 7 rpi (53 bracelet, 126 necklace)

blue and turquoise flat persian

Half Persian 3-in-1
T14 = 6 rpi (45 bracelet, 108 necklace)

aluminum and red anodized aluminum half persian

European 6-in-1 (link coming soon)
T14 = 14 rpi (105 bracelet, 252 necklace) for 3 rows

multi-colored european 6-in-1

Double Spiral (Rope)
T14 = 12 rpi (90 bracelet, 216 necklace)

gold anodized aluminum rope weave

Dodecahedron (Japanese Ball)
T14 = 96 rings total

chainmail dodec in brown and turquoise

Captive Inverted Round
T14 = 11 rpi (198 necklace; too stiff for a bracelet)

turquoise captive inverted round with alternating purple jump rings

Box weave (Queen’s Maille)
T14 = 12 rpi (90 bracelet, 216 necklace)

gold box chainmail queen's maille

3-3-3 Chain
T14 = 9 rpi (68 bracelet, 162 necklace)

multi-colored 3-in-3 chain

 

Additional Blue Buddha projects which use T14 rings:

Rubber Half Persian 4-in-1

Rubber Interwoven 4-in-1

Rock On! Heart

pink to black chainmaille heart

 

Vote for September’s Maillers’ Choice!

serpentIt’s time to vote on a colorway for our September Maillers’ Choice kit. Please select your favorite combination for the new colorful Sea Serpent necklace by Wednesday, August 2.

Sea Serpent, a Half Persian 3-1-based necklace by Darlene Ostrowski combines rubber with anodized aluminum and aluminum rings. Wear the necklace as a long pendant as shown at right, or position the serpent horizontally for a shorter necklace.

This project features L16 jump rings and rubber rings—16 SWG (1.6 mm) 1/4″ (6.35 mm)—with large KK16 jump rings—16 SWG (1.6 mm) 5/8″ (15.9 mm). We’ll also be selling the serpent’s head (difficult to see in this photo, but we’ll have better images when we release the project!) a la carte should you wish to stock up!

This month, your choices are:

dragon mix anodized aluminum + black rubber (as shown in photo of the finished piece):

dragon-blackwater mix anodized aluminum + black rubber :

water-blackblack anodized aluminum + tomato red rubber:

black-red

votenowbutton

10 FREE Simple DIY Jewelry Patterns To Get You Started Making Chainmaille

Using only small metal jump rings and pliers, you can create beautiful jewelry.

It’s no secret we geek out on “whoa-how-did-you-make-that” super-intricate chainmaille projects here at Blue Buddha, but sometimes you just want to have a little fun and create something quickly you can wear out that night.

Here are 10 project ideas that are quick (they take less than 2 hours to create, and some can be completed in mere minutes) simple (perfect for beginners), and best of all, the instructions are absolutely FREE.  Blue Buddha instructions guide you through the pattern so you succeed each and every time. Most of these projects have all-in-one-kits so you have everything you need to complete the project at your fingertips. “Weave” made it easy for you to exclaim, “#MailledIt!” 😉

If you’ve never made maille before, you’ll need two pairs of pliers in addition to your chainmaille supplies. Check out our free PDF “Getting Started with chainmaille” guide and our video “What Kinds of Pliers are Best for making Chainmaille?”

10 of our favorite FREE chainmaille projects

Bisected Byzantine

Bisected Byzantine rubbermaille bracelet in purple, blue and green

Bisected Byzantine is a perfect introduction to chainmaille and working with rubber rings. Try creating this project in your favorite sports team’s colors or holiday colors!

black rubber and gold color rubbermaille finger ring on hand

This rubbermaille finger ring is a great project for folks who like large rings. The band uses silicone rubber rings so it is easy to fit and easily slides on and off … and its flexibility makes it super comfortable to wear.

 

Coiled Rubber Scallop Necklace + earrings

turquoise rubbermaille and aluminum simple coiled necklace on black neckform

This necklace comes together quickly because all the rubber-o-rings are permanently closed, so you don’t have to pre-close them yourself. Make several different necklaces to match different outfits!

 

Illusion Loops Earrings

silver hoop floating earrings with different size circles

Learn this simple and eye-catching jewelry pattern that features several sizes of jump rings delicately balanced to hang inside each other. This is a fast and great DIY chainmaille project for beginners to learn basic techniques.

 

Lucky 7 Möbius Ring

bronze and stainless steel chainmaille ring

Link seven jump rings together in a vortex—nd then add a simple band of smaller jump rings—to create an elegant and comfortable finger ring.

 

Möbius Ball Necklace

simple aluminum chainmaille necklace for beginners on black neckform

Create a stunning, lightweight necklace in just a few steps! This project combines large jump rings with smaller rings and pre-made chain to create a sleek and fashionable necklace.

Orbital Earrings

chain mail orbital weave earrings in water color and fire color

These earrings are our most popular project when we set up our Make ‘n’ Take booth at local events. Why? They are eye-catching, colorful and best of all, even beginners can make these earrings in less than 20 minutes.

Shaggy Loops

shaggy loops bracelet in turquoise green and brown and purple shaggy loops chain mail

Shaggy Loops is a great weave if you’re new to chainmaille. Fun and flexible, this weave works in almost any ring size. Once you’ve learned this weave, you can use it to create necklaces, earrings and bracelets. BONUS: Free video tutorial available for Shaggy Loops.

Spike Earrings

easy scalemaille earrings with alumium and purple scales

In just 3 simple steps, create lightweight, sculptural earrings unlike anything you’ll find in a store. This is a great project for people brand new to chainmaille and/or new to working with metal scales.

Wobble Necklace

wobble weave in copper and purple jump rings on black neck form

This impressive-looking beginning level chainmaille project helps crafters learn how to link jump rings together to create a gorgeous metal necklace. The result is colorful, easy to wear and highly soothing to make once you get into the groove.

Once you make your first project, be sure to post it to the Blue Buddha Boutique page on Facebook or upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #mailledit!

September Birthstone Inspiration (Sapphire) for DIY Jewelry Projects

Create birthstone-inspired chainmaille jewelry for September

Our featured September birthstone kit is the popular Glass Caterpillar bracelet. Purchase all-in-one, limited-edition kits on our seasonal page.

If you’d like to customize a different color scheme, check out the supplies list at the bottom of the Glass Caterpillar page for a shopping list.

Other September Birthstone inspirations (click an image to purchase):

sapphire niobium jump rings sapphire niobium jump rings (also available as hypo-allergenic earwire in sapphire color)
Blue anodized aluminum blue anodized aluminum jump rings
Blue enameled copper royal blue enameled copper jump rings
coboalt blue rubber rings cobalt blue rubber rings
Sapphire Swarovski Crystals sapphire Swarovski® crystal
blue anodized aluminum scales blue anodized aluminum scales
blue Czech glass donut beads light cobalt glass donut rings – Czech glass rings in 9.4 mm or 14 mm outer diameter
cobalt blue Miyuki seed beads cobalt Miyuki® seed beads, size 6/0
  electro coated toggle blue electro plated toggle