Photo Tutorial Stretchy Byzantine Cuff

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

Stretchy Byzantine Cuff​

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Materials​

For a small 15cm cuff, you will need (for a larger cuff, you will need proportionally more rings):

• 120 blue EPDM o-rings, ID 5mm, WD 1.2mm
• 160 silver anodised aluminium jump rings, ID 5mm, WD 1.2mm
• 10 royal blue anodised aluminium jump rings, ID 10.2mm, WD 1.6mm
• 5cm headpin or piece of scrap wire

Tools:

• two pairs of smooth jawed chain nose, flat nose, or bent nose pliers

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Instructions​

1. Link three o-rings with four silver rings. Make ten of these units.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Open two silver rings of one unit and position three o-rings between them. Hold the silver rings in place by weaving a headpin through the centres of the silver rings and the o-rings (pictures 1 and 2).
   
   The next rings added are shown in red for clarity. Following the pathway of the headpin, weave one silver ring through the centres of the silver rings and o-rings (picture 3).
   
   Remove the headpin (picture 4).
   
   
   
   
   
3. Picture 1 shows the alternate view of the ring you have woven.
   
   Weave a second silver ring through the same pathway but on the other side of the chain (picture 2).
   
   
   
   
   
4. Turn the chain so that it looks like picture 4 of step 2. Open two silver rings of another unit made in step 1 and place on either side of the last three o-rings added. Hold the silver rings in place by weaving a headpin through the centres of the silver rings and the o-rings (picture 1).
   
   Following the pathway of the headpin, weave two silver rings through the centres of the silver rings and o-rings (picture 2).
   
   Picture 3 shows the alternate view of the rings you have woven.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Repeat steps 2-4 to make a chain that fits your wrist finishing with three o-rings.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Repeat step steps 1-5 to make a second chain of identical length.
   
   
7. Lay out the two chains with the silver ring ends next to each other and so that the byzantine sections are identical, (as shown in picture 1).
   
   Weave one royal blue ring through two folded back silver rings on the top chain and through two folded back silver rings on the bottom chain (picture 2).
   
   
   
   
   
8. Continue linking the two chains in the same way using the large royal blue rings.
   
   
   
   
   
9. The rings added to make the two chains into a cuff are shown in red for clarity. Repeat step 3 to join the ends of the chains (picture 1).
   
   Weave one royal blue ring through the last upper and lower byzantine sections to complete the cuff.
   
   

Variations​

• For a classic look, try black o-rings and large jump rings with silver anodised aluminium jump rings.
• Use rainbow rubber o-rings and large jump rings with black anodised rings id 5mm, 1.2mm.
• Make a single byzantine chain using larger o-rings, id 6.4mm, 1.63mm and anodised rings id 6.8mm, 1.6mm.

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©2021 Sarah Austin. All rights reserved.