How To Make Your Own Jump Rings for Chain Maille

Finding Jump Rings suitable for Chain Maille can be tricky.

Standard jump rings can be a great choice for anyone wishing to perfect their chain maille techniques but upon wearing the piece, skin to metal contact will wear down the plating very quickly.

Specialist Chain Maille rings eliminate this problem as they tend to made from stainless steel or non-tarnish artistic wire, giving you the longevity needed for jewellery projects.

However, finding stockists of all sizes can be time consuming and costly. Most suppliers will only stock the most popular gauges, meaning that many projects can be difficult to complete. So what is one to do when your Chain Maille project requires that special thickness or colour? Why not make your own!

The BeadSmith ‘EZ Jump Rings’ tool is available in two sizes. The smaller tool allows you to create 4-8mm jump rings and the larger will produce sizes 10-16mm.

The process is easy, simply select a mandrel based on the ring diameter you require and screw this into the plastic base.

From that, insert the wire into a small hole towards the bottom of the plastic base and fold an end down.

Now, using your finger to turn the plastic base and another finger to hold the wire in place, rotate the base clockwise, forming a continuous coil of wire along the mandrel.

Once you are happy with the amount of coils produced, slide the coil from the mandrel and snip into individual loops using flush cutters.

When making jump rings with the ‘EZ’ tool both economy and Pro quality wires would be suitable, but when creating rings for the purpose of Chain Maille, a non-tarnish wire must be used.

The Beadsmith Pro Quality Non Tarnish Wire is currently available in gauges 18-28 and comes in 12 different metal colours. Non Tarnish wire is slightly more costly than other artistic craft wires on the market, but allows you to create beautiful jewellery without the worry of discolouration. This makes it a sensible investment for jewellery makers and Chain Maille enthusiasts alike.

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Kerri McKenna
In House Designer