Saga of Life

Last Updated on Friday, 8 July 2011 06:32 Written by John Atwell Rasmussen Friday, 8 July 2011 06:32

In the continuing saga of making jewelry for my wife (she does get first chance at anything done), she chose two stones to be turned into cabochons the then jewelry.  The smaller tourmilated quartz was to be a ring, and the Peruvian blue opal to make a necklace.  After the lapidary work, the opal was drilled to make it a pendant, strung on black leather and add a steel chain and lobster claw clasp and we have a necklace.

The ring of course was a bit more difficult.  In this case, I bought the ring shank and the head from a casting company.  Then I had to size the shank, solder the head in place, pickle the piece, then polish it.  Unlike a lot of artisan jewelers, I do not own a tumbler, so I hand polish all my pieces.  Final polishing is done with Dremel and red rouge.  

This is so much fun, sometimes I forget that I have other things to do (like sleep). Everyone, have a great summer.

Featured Artist – Blue Buddha Boutique

Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 12:26 Written by Manic Butterfly Tuesday, 29 September 2009 09:00

A graduate from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Rebeca worked in media relations and nonprofit development for seven years. She managed several of the most successful PR campaigns ever for various businesses and nonprofits. Though her successes made her happy, in the back of her head was a nagging feeling that she wanted to do “something with her hands.” So she quit her job, spent a summer working at Interlochen Arts Camp, and then backpacked through a dozen European countries. After six months of travel and working odd jobs for room and board, she settled down and lived for a year as an au pair in Germany.

While at a Renaissance Faire in Germany, Rebeca saw several people wearing chainmaille belts. She couldn’t find any place to buy them, so she decided to make one herself, thus awakening her passion. Today she knows 70 weaves (100+ if you include variations) and has a diverse portfolio of both upscale and accessible jewelry.

By using colored rings and combining classic weaves in new ways, she erases preconceived notions of this ancient craft. Her designs span from fun and funky to high-end and sophisticated, from earrings and necklaces to curtains and pull-chains for light fixtures. Rebeca constantly strives to take this medium to a new level; her mini-sculptures and colorful juggling cubes are definitely not typical maille fare! In a very short time, Rebeca also emerged as the pre-eminent chainmaille instructor in the Midwest. Students travel from several neighboring states, including Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri, to attend her classes.

Blue Buddha Boutique, a diverse line of chainmaille supplies and finished jewelry, was launched by Rebeca in 2003. First operated out of her spare bedroom as a one-woman business, Blue Buddha has grown to a staff of six full- and part-time employees, with interns and guest contributors helping the company thrive. Originally handling only local orders, the company now has customers in all 50 states and 20+ countries. Blue Buddha prides itself on outstanding customer service, fast turnaround and of course, amazing chainmaille designs. 

Check out Blue Buddha Boutique.
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Featured Artist – MGChains

Last Updated on Sunday, 9 August 2009 08:23 Written by Manic Butterfly Wednesday, 12 August 2009 12:00

If for some strange reason you happened to be looking at my college transcript, you might notice an odd course tucked in between “Poetry/Prose Workshop” and “Discrete Mathmatics” – a course labeled “Chainmaille & Calligraphy.” The calligraphy part was fun, but it was the chainmaille that really grabbed my attention.

I started by learning basic armor weaves on cheap galvanized steel, but it wasn’t long before I started experimenting with colors and patterns in anodized aluminum. After a few years of playing with bright shiny colors, I needed a new challenge so I ‘graduated’ to silver and gold. I’ve been working with chainmaille for 8 years now, and the best part is that I’m still learning new things all the time.

I’m currently splitting my time between grad school in Boston (hoping to end up with an MA in graphic design) and weekends with my boyfriend and our cat in Portland, Maine.

Materials I work with:

Silver & Gold:
I work on “micromaille” with tiny rings made of sterling silver and gold fill. I love the challenge of weaving thread-thin rings of silver into intricate patterns, and I love the silky look and feel of woven silver.

Color:
Aluminum is strong and lightweight, perfect for weaving into chainmaille. I love to play with color combinations, and will do custom orders for color requests!

Heavy Metal:
Galvanized steel was what I learned with, and I still love to return to my roots and weave heavy, industrial pieces to satisfy my inner goth punk. My galvanized steel rings are hand-cut, which gives them a slightly more rough-edged industrial look.

I also work with stainless steel, which has the same satisfying weight of galvanized with the bonus of being easy to keep shiny and clean.

So whether you call it Chainmail or Chainmaille or Maille or just Chains, welcome to my world of woven metal rings! 

You can find my work at my Etsy shop.
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