ArtFire

8 inch Fine Silver bracelet with Sterling Silver safety catch.

Roman/Etruscan loop-in-loop chains have been made by skilled artisans for centuries, and the tradition will hopefully be carried on for centuries to come.

This particular variation is called "two-way double". It is a very dense, and slinky chain. Although it has an appearance similar to knit chains, like the viking or spool knits, it's construction is entirely different. It is solid, not hollow, and extremely supple and slinky.

This chain is constructed from approximately 250 hand fused Fine Silver links. The fabrication of the links alone takes several hours.

Fine silver wire is first wound around a dowel, forming a spring like coil. The coil is removed, and cut into individual rings with a saw or shears.

Each ring must have it's ends perfectly aligned so that each edge is in perfect contact.

The rings are then placed on a charcoal block, and one at a time, fused closed with a torch. To close the rings, the whole ring is heated to red hot, just barely at the edge of melting - the surface actually does melt. Then the artist must make the molten surface metal flow over and into the area where the ends of the cut ring meet, making it into one continuous loop.

If the heating is uneven, or if the ends of the ring are not perfectly aligned and in contact, the metal will simply lump up in various places around the ring, and the ring will not close.

Fusing rings is exacting and tedious labor, but it's the only path to making a chain like this one. Suitable rings are not commercially available.

Once the rings are fused, a pattern must be chosen, and the chain woven. During the weaving both the links and the chain frequently become stiff and brittle. At that point, they must be heated to red hot and then quenched in cool water to "anneal" or soften them again so the weaving can continue.

After the required lengh of chain has been woven, end caps, clasps, and safetys must be fabricated to finish the piece.

This weave is the densest weave I make, without a pre negotiated commission. three and 4 way double chains are very rarely made due to the extreme attention and time they require.

I can make this chain for you in 22K or 24K gold as well, but the price will be extremely dear - and worth every penny.

Fine Silver, Sterling Silver