Chain Maille Jewelry is one of the most fun and most colorful methods to make jewelry and other decorative pieces. I usually make bracelets and earrings using chain maille patterns, but you can also make very pretty necklaces and rings as well!

Chain maille is not new. It was formerly known simply as "mail", and was the armor that people used to make for combat. This mail/armor was created out of the little round jump rings that we use today to make our jewelry.

Because my experience is in making chain maille bracelets and earrings,  I will teach you about bracelet making in the next part of this article. As already mentioned, you will need metal jump rings to make your chain maille jewelry. It is common to find silver and gold jump rings, but I like to spice it up using colored jump rings - everything from pink to blue to tangerine! Jump rings come in different sizes and in different thicknesses. The thicknesses are referred to as 20 gauge and 18 gauge. The 18 gauge jump rings are made of thicker wire than the 20 gauge are. It is best to use the thicker gauge for projects that need to keep their shape (if making a flower design, for example), or if you want a stronger finished product. Here is a photo to show you a small sampling of jump ring colors and their different sizes.

(Note: To show you the difference between 18 g and 20 g jump rings, I included the black jump ring on the right side which is second-last from the end. You can see that it is thicker and is 18g.)

You will need two pairs of jewelry pliers. I like the flat ones with the blunt ends on them. These are what you are going to use to manipulate the jump rings.

You will also need jump rings. I suggest that you start with a very simple pattern, and use only two or three colors total. You can use whatever size of jump rings you want; just make sure that they are all different sizes for this pattern. I suggest that you start with 7 mm and 5 mm, for example. Starting with the smallest jump rings can be hard until you get the technique.

The last thing you need is a lobster clasp.

See the photo below that includes everything you need to make a chainmaille bracelet. 

We will assume that we are only working with two sizes of jump rings (and two different colors total). We will say that the purples are the larger jump rings, and the pink are the smaller jump rings. 

Start with a purple (large) jump ring.  You will notice that the jump ring is not a completely formed circle.  There is a tiny gap present.  You want to twist the jump ring back and forth slightly at this gap without misshaping the jump ring.  The purpose of doing this is to open the jump ring slightly.

To make the bracelet even stronger, do the same thing with a second purple jump ring (of the exact same size).

Now both of the purple jump rings are open.  Now open two small pink jump rings just enough to slip them both onto both of the purple jump rings. 

Now make sure to close both the purple jump rings and the pink jump rings, using both of your pliers again (twist the jump rings back and forth gently to close them.  If you listen closely, you may even notice that the jump rings make a "snap" when you close the gap). 

Continue on with your pattern of colors for the size of the wrist you are making the bracelet for. Once you reach the size of bracelet needed, then put a lobster clasp on one of the smaller (pink) jump rings. Then you can attach your bracelet to a second small pink jump ring on the other end of the bracelet to put it on your wrist. And you are all finished! You have made your first chain maille bracelet!

This is a very simple pattern to get you started in making chain maille jewelry. As you get better, you can start making more complex patterns. (see photos below). I suggest you get yourself some pattern books that will help you in making some really nice designs.