Crescent Maille :: News

Based on the Knotted Blues necklace, here’s a companion necklace that features knots of niobium rings on a sterling silver snake chain. However, these niobium rings aren’t anodized — aren’t colored — and are the actual hue of the niobium, a deep, intense, metallic graphite. A great contrast with the sleek silver of the chain. Now available in the Necklace section of the Etsy shop.

This week I’ve added four new necklaces to the shop, all based on the Mobius knot. The Mobius is a geometric figure that has only one side and one edge. It is most often represented with a strip of paper; one way of visualizing it is the idea that if an ant were to crawl along the length of this strip, it would return to its starting point having traversed every part of the strip without ever crossing an edge.

In art & craft, the Mobius is often used to represent infinity and eternity. In chain maille, the Mobius knot (or Mobius flower, or Mobius spiral, or Mobius ball) is formed by weaving any number of rings through the centers of each other to resemble an endless spiral. In a seven-ring mobius knot, each ring goes through the centers of all six other rings.

There are already a number of pieces in the shop (necklaces, bracelets, and earrings) that incorporate the Mobius knot. Now there are four more: the Captured Mobius-7 Necklace, the Ocean Knot Necklace, the Captured Ocean Knot Necklace, and the Nest Necklace. All can be found in the Necklace section of the Etsy shop.

I’ve written a post that has a chart comparing all of the Mobius-style necklaces in the shop (number of rings, gauge of rings, width of mobius, and type of chain), and includes photos that show size comparisons. You can read the post here — you just might find it helpful when shopping…

With the design of four new mobius knot style necklaces this week, it seems it would be helpful to post a chart comparing all styles in the shop. The chart above (click on it to view it full size) compares the necklaces in these categories: ring gauge (the lower the number, the thicker the ring), number of rings in the mobius knot, the width of the mobius knot, and the style of chain.

Roughly, the 5/8-inch mobius is about the size of a penny; the 7/8-inch mobius is about the size of a nickel; and the 1-inch mobius is about the size of a quarter. Pictures of all the necklaces, plus pictures comparing the relative size of the necklaces, are posted below.

This extremely fine bracelet is made of teeny rings fashioned from square wire. The Jens Pind weave is a variant of a simple spiral weave; lines of rings running down the length of the piece lie just barely atop one another, fixed into place perfectly. Rings of the exact size and proportion must be selected to lock the pattern into place but at the same time allow the chain to be flexible and fluid.

The faceted square rings catch the light, angular and sparkling; this bracelet is modern, a bit industrial, delicate yet strong.

Crafted from 22 gauge square sterling silver rings, the bracelet is just under 1/8-inch wide (3mm). Fastens with a sterling silver toggle clasp. There is also a wider, more substantial 18 gauge ring version of this bracelet in the shop.

This bracelet can also be made in Argentium silver. And, if you’re interested, it can be made as a necklace; though I have yet to undertake weaving an 18 inch chain of it thus far, I will in the future — & I’ll add it to the regular Crescent Maille line.

Available now in the bracelet section of the Etsy shop.

The Mobius-7 necklace and the Mobius Charm necklace are two of the top selling items in the Etsy shop. With this in mind, I’ve decided to add these designs as pendants, so you can add your own chain or cord, should you have a favorite. Available now in the necklaces section of the Etsy shop.

This month’s giveaway on EtsyStalker.com is your choice of any of the “earrings for charity” in the Etsy shop. Currently, you can give back to First Book, the Gentle Barn, the Elephant Sanctuary, or help make a micro-finance loan through Kiva (see this post for details, though it is slightly out of date, or see the Etsy listings themselves).

To enter, visit Crescent Maille’s EtsyStalker shadowbox page — full details about the giveaway are there — and leave a comment on that page up to once a day to increase your chances. The winner will be chosen at random on August 5th.

Crescent Maille is now crafting watches with chain maille bands. There are two designs: an Olivia Weave band and a Vertebrae Weave band.

B A N D S
These watch bands are made with Argentium sterling silver rings. Argentium sterling is a fairly new sterling alloy; a small amount of the copper has been replaced with germanium. In appearance it looks identical to traditional sterling silver, however Argentium resists tarnish much longer than traditional sterling. Argentium is used for these watches because the watch head component makes them difficult to polish with traditional methods that require water.

F A C E S
There are three styles of watch head available. Style 1 (shown in the photos) and Style 2 feature Citizen movements and scratch-resistant glass crystals. The cases are made of silver base metal, with stainless steel backs. They are not waterproof. Style 2 looks extremely similar to Style 1, except that only the numerals 12, 3, 6, and 9 are displayed (no minute marks).

Style 3, the “Desert Glow” face, is larger, and only available for the Olivia Weave watch (it’s just too large for the Vertebrae band). See photo below. This watch head costs a couple dollars more, but lights up (blue) when the side button is pressed. The case is white-finish brass, with a stainless steel back.

C L A S P
The watches fasten with a sterling silver box clasp with a safety catch. Due to the relative newness of Argentium sterling, there are few clasps available that are up to Crescent Maille’s standards, and so far, I’ve found none suitable for a watch. As it is traditional sterling, it will tarnish more quickly than the band, but can be polished easily with a polishing cloth (like the “Sunshine” brand), or, given its distance from the watch head, can be cleaned very carefully with water using the methods described on the Shop Policies page.

E X T R A S
Both watches come with an extra battery, a pair of extra pins, and a duplicate set of the tiny closed rings that help cover the pins — if your watch head ever needs repairs at a jeweler’s shop, these extras may come in handy.

S P E C I A L   O R D E R
Do you prefer traditional sterling silver? Both watch bands are available in traditional sterling. A fourth watch head is available that is truly beautiful: the case is sterling silver (the back is stainless steel), and the face is white mother-of-pearl with an opalescent sheen. It has Japanese quartz movements. The numbering on the face is very similar to Style 1. The sterling watch head is a bit more expensive, but is well worth it — it is gorgeous. I’ve worn the Olivia Weave band watch in sterling with the sterling silver watch head for several years now, and have received many compliments. As the watch head is not waterproof, it’s far more difficult to polish, and as sterling does, it will tarnish over time. About the only way to clean it is with a polishing cloth, so expect to develop a dark patina on the inner surfaces. However, this watch is truly an heirloom piece. If you’re interested in a fully traditional sterling watch, please contact me.

M O R E   I N F O
You can go to the watch section of the Etsy shop for more details and pricing.

Separate from the Official Newsletter, Crescent Maille will be sending out e-mail New Design Announcements whenever brand new designs and items are added to the Crescent Maille line and Etsy shop. If you’d like to subscribe to these announcements, summarized into weekly e-mails if new items are available, either visit the Contact page, or simply click on this link to sign up.

a.k.a., Academy Lace. The Academy Lace pattern is an original design by Crescent Maille. This new necklace, a single segment of the Academy Lace pattern, so resembles a puzzle piece that the name seemed inevitable. Crescent Maille’s original lace designs are based on the Japanese style of chain maille weave. Academy Lace features three sizes of rings in a delicate, symmetrical, subtle design. All rings are doubled for strength.

Crafted from 19 and 20 gauge sterling silver rings, the lace segment is 3/4-inch long (19mm) and just under 1/2-inch wide (7mm). Strung on a 16 inch sterling silver cable chain (1.5mm wide), but you can substitute an 18 or 20 inch cable chain if you prefer.

View Crescent Maille’s inaugural newsletter online.

You can go to the Contact Page to sign up to receive the newsletter, or to receive announcements when new designs are added to the shop.