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all and holding spaces open with a number of toothpicks etc It can be done but it s awkward In addition to the weave itself each kit in and slow and really requires more hands than our Beginning Weaves series teaches specific the average person is sporting techniques designed to lay the best possible foundation for more advanced chain weaving Weaving Byzantine chain is actually very easy skills Our Byzantine Kit provides a beginning and comfortable and requires no more than the chain maker s first introduction to achieving standard two hands Rings are added two by visual complexity in a pattern through relatively two and periodically pairs of rings are parted simple manipulation of rings on the working end folded back over the last set of rings and locked of a chain as it s woven in place with the next set Many complex patterns are made much easier than they look by To understand this concept look at a Byzantine separating folding back and reaching beneath chain and imagine how you might assemble rings as they hang loose on the working end rings to achieve this pattern if you had no of the chain Subsequent rings lock those into instruction A determined individual could place and the patterned sequence begins again look at the pattern and figure out a way to replicate it starting with a pair of rings linked Byzantine is an incredibly versatile weave through another pair holding one ring out at lending itself endless to variation I ll show you an angle while wedging another through them several of the best at the end of the lesson About Byzantine beginning weaves byzantine Copyright 2003 10 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com KIT03 Byzantine Weave Kit About Byzantine Learning Byzantine Quick Reference Attaching the Clasp Beyond the Basics Kitpacks refills Bolder More Delicate Byzantine Variations Apprentice Projects Weaving Byzantine Subtract the length of your clasp from your ideal finished bracelet length to determine how long to make your chain See our Apprentice Guide for more information on how to determine length if needed Legal copies of these instructions display a holographic registration number here Before beginning close at least a dozen rings as perfectly as possible and open twice that many You can prepare more rings than that if you like just keep the ratio of one third closed to two thirds open 1 If this is your first kit you ll need The Apprentice Guide to Maille Construction Jewelry Design before beginning You ll find a link to the free download on the front page of our website urbanmaille com 3 1 Pick up an open ring with your pliers and scoop four closed rings onto it then close the open ring Focus on closing the ring as perfectly as possible 1 2 Pick up another open ring and put it through the same four rings alongside the ring you just closed then close it Again focus on getting good closures as you go along You won t have room to go back and clean up your closures later so take your time and do it well initially 2 2 3 Shake it out and you ll see that you ve made a 2 2 2 chain Put the twisty tie included in your kit through the pair of rings on one end of your chain and twist the ends together This will give you something to hold onto for stability while your chain is small 3 4 With the twisty tie tucked into the palm of your nondominant hand hold the free end of your little chain between the fingertips of that hand and let the first pair of rings separate and fall to the sides 4 In order to make this part of the instructions very clear we ll call the rings that are now parted the first pair The middle rings are the second pair and the rings held by the twisty tie are the third pair Beginning Weaves Byzantine 03 10 pg 1 6 4

5 7 5 Shift your fingertips and use them to hold the fallen first pair of rings pinned to the sides of the third pair as shown 5 6 Push the outside rings that you re holding the first pair upward as far as they ll go so they form a loose V shape within the second pair above them Same position shown from two different angles 6a b 7 Part the second pair of rings that are now on top Notice that this exposes the bottom of the first pair of rings the same rings that you re holding between those you parted 7 6a Once it s in place it will look like the photos 8b and 8c Same position shown from slightly different angles Once you have the new ring in place you can let go of the chain with your non dominant hand pick up your other pair of pliers and close the ring 8b c 8b 9 Pick up another open ring and put it through the same spot alongside the one you just closed and close it as well as shown in this photo 9 You ve now made one unit of byzantine and you ll be repeating these steps to make the rest of the chain so let s review 9 You first made a 2 2 2 chain This is the base chain of a unit of byzantine You then let the end rings fall to the sides pushed them up and held them while you parted the rings above them This is called making the fold You then put two rings through the bottom part of those you were holding That s called locking down the fold Once the fold is locked down the chain is stable and you can let go of the rings you were holding and even put the chain down and come back to it later if you like 8c 10 Pick up an open ring with your pliers scoop two closed rings onto it and add it to the pair of rings that are locking down the fold 10a b 11 Pick up another open ring and run it through the same four rings the last one passed through and close it You now have another 2 2 2 base chain in which the initial pair of rings is locking down the fold of the first byzantine unit 11a b 1 0a 1 0b Beginning Weaves Byzantine 03 10 pg 2 6 1 1b 1 1a Copyright 2003 10 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com KIT03 Byzantine Weave Kit 6b 8a 8 With your dominant hand pick up a pair of pliers and use them to pick up an open ring Hook that open ring through the exposed bottom part of the first pair the rings you re holding The new ring goes into the spot marked by the red arrow in the photo 8a

12 Copyright 2003 10 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com KIT03 Byzantine Weave Kit 13 Using the Rocket Tool Tip If you find it awkward to arrange the rings for the fold try using the sharp tip of an awl to help If you have a Rocket Tool it s perfect for this purpose If you don t have an awl you can use a toothpick When you re ready to make the fold let the rings part and fall to the sides pin them and push them up then use the awl to simultaneously part the top rings and poke a space for the locking rings 12 Tuck the twisty tie into the palm of your non dominant hand and let the pair of rings at the end part and fall to either side of the chain 12 13 Press the fallen rings to the sides of the chain and push them up so they form that loose V shape within the pair of rings above them 13 1 6a 14 Part the rings that are now at the end of the chain exposing between them the bottom part of the rings you re holding pressed to the sides of the chain You ve now made the fold 14 14 15 Pick up an open ring with the pliers in your dominant hand and hook it through the exposed bottom part of the rings you re holding Once you have it hooked through them let go of the chain and close the ring 15 16 Pick up a second open ring and hook it through that same pair alongside the ring you just closed and close it 16a b Now that you understand the pattern repeat steps 10 through 16 until your chain is the desired length or follow the abbreviated directions below if you feel comfortable enough with the pattern 15 1 6b Quick Reference A Pick up an open ring scoop two closed rings onto it and add it to the pair of rings locking down the last fold Put another open ring alongside it B Tuck the chain into your non dominant hand with the free end in your fingertips Let the last pair of rings part and fall to the sides Pin them to the sides of the chain push them up and part the pair of rings that are now at the end of the chain C Pick up an open ring with your pliers and hook it through the newly exposed rings Let go of the chain close the ring then add another open ring alongside it Repeat steps A B C until you reach the desired length Kitpacks To make another bracelet just like this one without purchasing whole troy ounces of the sizes you need visit the Kitpack section of our website and order the Byzantine Bracelet Kitpack You ll get the same quantity of rings included in this kit plus the clasp all packaged in the same round tins that came with your kit Kitpacks do not include instructions tools or extras and the cost is commensurably less than the full kit Beginning Weaves Byzantine 03 10 pg 3 6

Terminology At the completion of step 9 you d made one unit of byzantine chain Two units make a segment Upon finishing step 16 you d completed your first segment Photo 16b shows one segment the photo Your kit includes a sterling toggle clasp handmade in Bali Toggle clasps consist of two pieces a circle and a stick You ll notice that the stick has a short 1 in 1 chain attached made of small soldered links It s there is to provide some slack making it easier to turn the stick to put it through the circle once the clasp has been attached to your chain You can snip off rings to shorten or remove the chain if you like but don t do it right away if you aren t used to using toggle clasps Instead leave the chain attached and see how it works and why it s needed You can always remove the clasp snip off some rings and put the clasp back on later if you like You can not however reattach those rings once they ve been snipped off Because there is some natural variance in items that are handmade the soldered toggle rings might or might not be large enough to attach with two rings One ring in this size is more than strong enough to hold the clasp if two won t fit Remove the twist tie and open the two rings at the other end of your chain and slip them through the small soldered ring on the circle end of your toggle clasp You ve made your first byzantine bracelet The first segment or any standalone segment requires 14 rings but each subsequent segment in a chain requires only 12 rings because the pair of rings that lock each unit s fold in place also called the connecting rings is the first pair in the base chain of the next unit Congratulations Open the pair of rings at the end of your chain and slip the last soldered link on the toggle chain onto those rings then close them so it looks like Bolder More Delicate Versions of Byzantine The aspect ratio of the rings used to weave Byzantine plays a large part in the appearance of the finished chain See our website for an explanation of aspect ratio Byzantine is a fairly tolerant weave meaning that it works within a range of aspect ratios but the appearance of the finished chain varies radically with changes in ring size The rings provided in this kit and the sizes recommended here and on our website will result in densely woven chains that are completely flexible Smaller aspect ratios produce overlapping rings and a slightly kinked chain or can t be woven at all Larger rings will work but the finished chain will be airier less substantial and weaker than a chain made from the recommended sizes An airy chain can be lovely but should only be used in non load bearing positions such as earrings The sizes recommended here are perfect for our sterling palladium sterling and platinum sterling rings but might or might not work with rings made of other materials or with any rings made by other vendors Due to issues regarding springback the amount of tension in any given metal Argentium and copper rings are usually slightly smaller than traditional sterling rings so before ordering copper or Argentium rings in the sizes recommended here please check the Shop by Weave section of our website Our 18K gold rings have a bit more springback than sterling so they will be fine in these recommended sizes Made with 18K gold rings the chain might have a little more play in it but Recommended Ring Sizes inches width our gold rings are quite Byzantine perrings inch per ozt mm stiff so the finished chain 12g 6 5mm 8 4 4 0 11 0 will be even stronger 12g 7 0mm 4 2 8 0 than the sterling version This chart lists the ring sizes we recommend for Byzantine as well as the number of rings per inch rpi required in that size Beginning Weaves Byzantine 03 10 pg 4 6 14g 5 5mm 15 7 4 0 9 0 16g 4 5mm 19 4 6 4 7 0 18g 3 5mm 26 0 9 5 6 0 20g 2 75mm 32 5 15 75 4 0 22g 2 25mm 39 5 28 2 3 0 24g 1 75mm 56 0 37 7 2 76 Copyright 2003 10 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com KIT03 Byzantine Weave Kit Attaching the Clasp

Copyright 2003 10 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com KIT03 Byzantine Weave Kit Variations The most basic variation of this chain uses mixed metals When mixing metals it s best to use matched rings in pairs In other words don t lock down a fold with one sterling and one copper ring Use two rings of the same metal because the relative hardness of each metal results in miniscule size differences in finished rings That difference won t affect the chain as long as the pairs match but will show in a mixed pair and can give the chain a slight curve If you re attaching bead stations between individual segments of byzantine make all your bead stations first and attach 2 2 rings on each loop Then choose one make a fold and slip a ring through to hold it but don t close the ring yet Pick up another bead station make the fold on one end of it and then slip it on the same open ring Close the ring locking both folds at the same time Add a second ring alongside the one you just closed and you have a completed byzantine segment between two bead stations It s a bit tight working in such close quarters but the finished chain makes the extra effort worthwhile The pattern shown in the top photo is made by simply alternating metals in pairs as the chain is woven 2sterling 2copper 2sterling 2copper etc Other patterns can be made by thinking of the total number of rings needed in thirds two Byzantine segments can be joined in ways other thirds of the rings make up the folds and the than simply end to end To make individual remaining third connects the folds together byzantine segments for assembly in other ways Individual byzantine segments can be used between bead stations or other elements When attaching byzantine to bead stations if you use the loop on the bead as the first pair in your base chain you ll get a better finished look because it pulls the bead in closer to the chain In the photo above right you can see that the right end of the bead station is attached to the locking rings The loop at the left end of the bead station actually replaces and serves in place of the locking rings pulling the chain up closer to the beads This gives the chain a more balanced appearance because it doesn t have that skinny spot next to the bead station that results from the additional pair of rings To attach this way work outward from the bead station to make your base chain like this bead loop 2 2 Then make your fold and lock it down normally you might find it faster to use the following method Make a 2 2 2 2 2 chain using five pair of rings Fold back the rings on one end of that chain and lock them in place with a pair of open rings just as you do when weaving a straight length of byzantine Turn the chain over and make the fold at the other end and lock it in place with another pair of open rings You now have one 14 ring segment of byzantine Repeat this procedure until you have as many segments as needed for the project you have in mind Beginning Weaves Byzantine 03 10 pg 5 6

Here are some examples of byzantine variations made with segments The one below is commonly known as Ladder Byzantine It s very simple just connect the tips of the byzantine segments to each other using pairs of rings in the same size used to make the segments From top to bottom the first three variations at left are known as Bastardized Byzantine Romanov with Beads and Romanov without Beads You ll find mini tutorials for these three variations by clicking About the Weave on the Shop by Weave Byzantine page of our website Apprentice Projects Use Limitations It can be difficult to know exactly which rights are granted with instruction of any sort so we include this section in an effort to clarify our policies Now that you re comfortable with Byzantine there are several kits in our Apprentice Projects section that you re ready to make including the watch mentioned above two different graduated Byzantine necklaces Byzantine Rose and Box Chain Please note that Apprentice Projects all require that you know one or more of the Beginning Weaves in order to complete the kits They don t repeat the instructions from the Beginning Weaves but rather build on that knowledge providing only the additional instruction needed to complete the project Our kits are structured in this way so that you never pay for the same instruction twice The Apprentice Projects are pictured below Our Weave Kits Beginning Intermediate and Advanced teach chainmaille patterns many of them ancient that are not of our own design and reside in the public domain If you learn a weave from one of our Weave Kits and then wish to teach that weave you have every right to do so as long as you use your own photos or renderings and your own wording in the instructions Using our instructions even if you retype them and change some of the words is a violation of copyright and other intellectual property rights Some of our Project Kits Apprentice Journeyman and Master are simple variations of standard weaves and the same rules apply as described above Those marked as Urban Maille Exclusives however are our own copyrighted designs and do not reside in the public domain If you have purchased a kit you are granted the right to make and sell the piece as many times as you like but we reserve the right to teach those designs ourselves Because they are unique designs and we don t grant permission to teach them sharing or publishing ring sizes and other particulars privately or publicly or teaching them even with photos or renderings and instructions you ve prepared yourself is expressly prohibited and constitutes a violation of Urban Maille s copyrights and other intellectual property rights This kit is not an Urban Maille Exclusive Thank you for allowing me to be your instructor for this weave I hope that you re pleased and that you ll choose us again for your next adventure in this beautiful ancient art ly n Ais Beginning Weaves Byzantine 03 10 pg 6 6 Copyright 2003 10 Urban Maille Inc All Rights Reserved urbanmaille com KIT03 Byzantine Weave Kit The last variation is known as Olivia Chain or the Olivia variation It s best when made with multiple ring sizes and a more complex form of connection than is normally used so we offer the Byzantine Watch Kit to teach it