A very lovely lady recently got in touch to ask me whether I could make a bracelet that was a precise width, to replace one she had previously lost.

“Of course,” I said, and proceeded to work out the ID needed, so I could match both the width required for the final chain, and the AR necessary to keep the weave looking neat and tidy.

This turned out to be a combination that my usual suppliers don’t keep. So, I am cutting my own rings. It’s not the first time I’ve done this, but it is the first time I’ve used wire this thick, and it’s surprising hard to wind on the mandrel neatly.

Still, this bracelet looks fabulous, even when it’s only half-way through, and I very much like the idea that I’m turning a coil of silver wire into a 3D flexible bracelet and clasp, just with the help of a few simple tools. I shall share the finished pictures in due course. In the meantime, I thought it might be nice to share the work in progress photos…

Rings are 1.8mm sterling silver wire, with an internal diameter of 6mm.

First, we coil the wire onto the mandrel. Closer coils that this are better, but hard to achieve when working with thick wire that you’re coiling by hand.

Then, we saw. It’s very hard to hold a taped coil of silver, a handsaw, and a camera when you are only one person – so there are no photos of this bit.

Once we have sawn, we end up with a pile of silver jump rings. (Excuse the silver saw-dust.)

These are then joined together to make the bracelet, as normal. Here’s the beginning of the chain!