Photo Tutorial Japanese 4-1 Diamond Earrings

Author's Note
Our projects were very popular during the lifetime of our business and we wanted to ensure they continued to provide inspiration for chain maillers whatever their experience. It's a pleasure to see they will live on with Chainmaillers.com
-Sarah Austin

Japanese 4-1 Diamond Earrings​

This is a fairly simple weave but the small rings make it fiddly.

The project uses rings made with thin wire thus making it a fairly weak weave. However, as the finished piece is designed to dangle from an earwire, this does not matter.

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Materials​

For the earrings, you will need:

• (A) - 114 bright aluminium jump rings ID 2.6mm, WD 0.81mm
• (B) - 72 black anodised aluminium jump rings ID 3.6mm, WD 0.81mm
• One pair of earwires
• tools: two pairs of smooth faced chain nose or flat nose pliers

These earrings have a 7.5cm drop from the earwire. If you prefer a less dangly earring, make the lengths of your chainlets shorter and make fewer chainlets. These earrings are 6x6 jump rings (B).

Before you begin joining the rings, close all the anodised aluminium jump rings (B).

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Instructions​

1. Place two anodised aluminium jump rings (B) onto one open bright aluminium jump ring (A). Close the bright aluminium ring (A).
   
   
   
   
   
2. Open one bright aluminium jump ring (A) and link one anodised aluminium ring (B) to one anodised aluminium ring (B) from step one. Close the bright aluminium ring (A).
   
   
   
   
   
3. Repeat step 2 until you have a chainlet of six anodised aluminium rings (B).
   
   Repeat steps 1-3 until you have 6 chainlets that are six anodised aluminium rings long.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Lay two chainlets alongside each other. Make sure that the rings lay flat and that it is not twisted. Open one bright aluminium ring (A) and link the first anodised aluminium rings (B) of each chainlet. Close the bright aluminium ring (A).
   
   
   
   
   
5. Each time you link the chainlets together you will need to make sure that the rings are lying flat. Open one bright aluminium ring (A) and link the second anodised aluminium rings (B) of each chainlet. Close the bright aluminium ring (A).
   
   
   
   
   
6. Continue joining the chainlets in this manner until all six anodised aluminium rings (B) are linked to corresponding rings (B) to form a thin rectangular strip.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Repeat steps 4-6 and join a third chainlet to the thin rectangular strip made in the previous step. Continue joining your chainlets in this manner until you have a square of six anodised aluminium rings (B) by six anodised aluminium rings.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Make a second square, following steps 1-7.
   
   
9. Link the corner of one square to your earwire using two bright aluminium rings (A). Repeat with the second square and earwire to complete your pair of earrings.
   
   
   

Variations​

• Use different coloured rings around the edge of your square to provide a different coloured border.
• Great for using all those spare different coloured rings. Use them randomly or design your square so that the colours change as you move up the diamond – for this you may find it easier to lay your rings out on paper in the desired pattern before you link them together.

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©2021 Sarah Austin. All rights reserved.