Today we kick off our NEW blog content with a beautiful Chain Maille earring pattern by Olena Bugrimenko.

This simple yet elegant pattern is perfect for the beginner who wants to start experimenting with Chain Maille. With Olena’s easy to follow, step by step instructions, you’ll have a beautiful set of Byzantine Earrings before you know it!

Enjoy!

Byzantine Earrings

Skill Level: All – This tutorial shows how to make Chain Maile earrings out of the weave known as Byzantine.

Materials

• Jump ring Gold Plated 5mm , 18 GA (60)
• Jump ring Gold Plated fancy* 6mm 16Ga (4)
• Jump ring Gold Plated fancy* 10mm 16Ga (2)
• Red Aventurine (Natural) donut, 15mm (2)
• Earwire, Gold Plated surgical steel, fishhook (2)

*Fancy jump rings can be made by twisting square wire, cutting and tumbling them.

Tools

• Jump ring tool, opener and closer
• 2 chain nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Round nose pliers
• Flat nose pliers

Instructions:

1. Start by closing 4 rings and opening 2 others. 
2. Pick up an open ring and slip 4 of the closed rings onto it. Close the open ring.
3. Pick up the second open ring. Pass it through the 4 closed rings (from step 2). Close the open ring. Lay out the rings as pictured. Now you have a 2-2-2 chain. Open 4 more rings.
   
4. Hold the 2 closed rings that are on the left side. Let the 2 rings on the right side fall on your fingers and let them face opposite directions from the middle rings. Push the 2 standing middle rings away from each other and push the rings on your fingers up.
   
5. Insert two of the four open rings by passing them through the two rings pushed up from the middle.
   
   
6. Add another two rings to the two you just added.
   
7. Add two more rings to the ones you just added.
   
8. Repeat step 4. Add two rings to the middle pushed up rings. You have now finished your first fragment. To make earrings, you need two of these for just one earring. Repeat steps 1-8. 
9. Attach the two fragments together as shown in the picture.
   
10. Attach an earwire and a donut stone. Repeat steps 1-9, so you can make your second earring.

Congratulations! You’ve made your first set of Byzantine Weave Earrings.