ABOUT CHAINMAIL
Context
Chainmail’s history dates back over two thousand years, most of which is dominated by its use as armor. Due to the time-intensive nature of its production, chainmail was a prized and expensive form of protection. An artisan might spend over 500 hours to complete a hauberk (chainmail shirt).
In recent decades, the European 4-in-1 weave, commonly used in hauberks and coifs (armor hoods), has seen a significant reduction in production time and cost thanks to mechanization. Accordingly, chainmail has become more affordable for various purposes including pot scrubbers, butcher gloves, and shark diver suits.
However, artisans still handcraft chainmail jewelry, because chainmail jewelry incorporates a wide range of weaves, ring sizes, colors, and metals. These intricate pieces require ring-by-ring assembly using pliers. Free Maison’s creations take the intricacies of chainmail jewelry to a larger scale.
Making Chainmail
To create jump rings, a tight coil of wire is cut. This produces rings that are neither open nor completely closed.
Chainmail is made with a pair of pliers in both hands. Pliers grip each ring like two hands on a steering wheel, and guide the ring open or closed. The weave being made dictates the varying ratios in which rings must be opened or closed to prepare for weaving.
Rings are then linked together to create the specified weave. There are over one thousand documented weaves, and mail artisans continue to create and document more every year. Quality chainmail can be recognized by the complexity of the design and tightness of ring closures.
Who makes It?
Skilled artisans in the NYC metropolitan area make all of Free Maison’s chainmail. Once components are completed, Creative Director Jesse Aviv assembles every piece.
Pieces within Free Maison’s 2024 collection take between 15 and 220 hours to complete, depending on the size of the piece and complexity of the design. Free Maison specializes in ciphering, a chainmail style developed by Aviv.
Materials
Chainmail can be made of a variety of metals, including stainless steel, galvanized steel, niobium, aluminum, titanium, copper, silver, or gold. Free Maison’s chainmail is made out of anodized aluminum for its color, durability, and light weight. We can make you a custom piece out of alternative metals by request.
Anodization
Anodization is an electrochemical process by which an oxide layer is created on the surface of the aluminum. This makes it more durable and also allows for a wide variety of colors.
The colored layer will not wash or rub off; however, deep scratches to the metal may reveal the underlying silver color of the aluminum. If you would like repairs done on a scratched or otherwise damaged piece, we’d love to help you return your item to its former glory! Please see our repair policy.