Lunargent Workshop Chainmail Jewelry Material

All chainmail is made from rings. Rings can be of many different materials.But few pieces of jewelry will be made only of rings, thus I usually incorporate beads or pendant in most of my jewelry. So what exactly are these materials, and what are their properties? This page is here to help you find out.

Rings and wire material

Aluminium

Aluminium is a fairly common material for costume chainmail (meaning one you wear to look good, not defend yourself from swords, or dragons). The most common aluminium used in chainmail will usually produce a black layer of oxide over time. The aluminium I use for my jewelry does not.

Note: When using aluminium, one should always ensure that the temper is suitable to the application. Dead soft aluminium has been sold in kits for armor... If you can bend a rings with your finger, don't use it for armor.

Anodized aluminium

Aluminium can be anodized to bold bright colors. It is one of my favorite chainmail jewelry material. Anodized aluminium is not produced like other anodized metals. While metals like niobium and titanium are anodized by applying a strong voltage to the metal (the thickness of the oxide layer giving a wide range of colors), anodized aluminium must first be subjected to a similar process (which produce a colorless oxide layer) and then dyed to color the oxide layer.

Brass

A strong metal, I use it to create golden jewelry. Brass oxidize slightly over time, but since the rings I use are solid brass, the pieces can be cleaned to bring out the original shine.

Bronze

A strong metal, it is often used as trimming in chainmail armors. Bronze turns darker with time.

Stainless steel

I use stainless steel mostly for extension chains. Stainless steel, is, well, stainless, so it won't rust. And its very strong.

EDPM rubber

This is what I use to add some stretch to certain pieces.

Other metals

Niobium

Used for some clasps. Niobium can be anodized to a wide selection of color and is hypoallergenic.

Nickel

Many commercial findings are made of nickel. Some of them are gold or silver plated.

Pewter

Most of the pendants I use are pewter pendant.

Copper

Copper wire, covered with a layer of colored plastic is available in tons of different colors, and is very useful to create wire components. I use a lot of silvered copper wire, which consist of a copper wire plated in silver, then covered in a plastic layer. This gives very bright colors.

Bead material

Crystal

I use only Swarovski Austrian crystals in my jewelry. It is renowned for it shine and the quality of its cut. Crystal is basically glass with a lot of lead in it. Crystal is unsuitable for young children who might put them in their mouth.

Glass

I sometimes used frosted glass beads. Only frosted glass looks like frosted glass.

Pearl

Freshwater pearls are a beautiful material. For the moment, I only carry those of the "peacock" variety, which are dark opalescent pearls.

Fossil stone

These are dyed stone beads. They have very vibrant colors.

Semi-precious stones

These deserves a category all to themselves. Semi-precious stones offer a lot of variety. One thing to remember: this is a natural product. There will be variation from lot to lot, and even from bead to bead.