Chainmaille Origins
Japanese 12 in 2 Necklace
Maille as Metal Armour
Gorgeous Chainmaille Jewelry also known as mesh, originated as a form of metal armor using ancient techniques of linking of rings to form woven sheets of metal. Maille comes from the Latin word,"macula", meaning "mesh of net".
Although maille has been identified with Viking, Japanese and Englishman, the original proprietors of maille were the Celts, Romans, and Norse society. The oldest maille armor discovered proved to be over 2000 years old when carbon dated. Chain mail has also been found between Europe and Asia dated from the 5th Century.
The weaving of maille into jewelry began with the Japanese. They originally used maille to connect plates of Armour the Samurai warriors wore. Maille protected them against spears, swords, and arrows. Japanese weavers at that time developed many geometric weaves to join the plates forming the Suit of Armour.
Chainmaille as Jewelry
Chainmaille became fashionable as jewelry thanks to William Shakespeare's plays. His actors featured Chainmaille sometimes called, Chain Mail, was the jewelry worn as part of their costumes.
Chainmaille continued to grow in popularity. The usefulness of maille for industrial as well as jewelry drove the development of the first maille weaving machine in the late 1800s. Maille machines are still used today for industrial usage.
Fortunately for us, highly regarded Chainmaille items with geometric shapes were passed on throughout history from generation to generation; prized due to the quality and/or beauty of the pieces. Today, Experienced Maille Artisans have devised more than 1,000 weaves.Weaving techniques come from Renaissance Byzantine, European, Japanese and Romanov Periods.
Chainmaille Today
Chainmaille jewelry continues in popularity today mainly due to the continued love of the Renaissance Period attire as well as the many construction uses of the strong maille mesh material. It is also enjoyed because Chainmaille is easy to care for. If your Maille Metal gets dirty, just wash it off in soapy water and the shine will return.
If you are looking to purchase Chainmaille designed your own way, come to see us at www.jamscrafts.com
Chainmaille Artisans League
- M.A.I.L. - Maille Artisans International League - Home Page
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