Project Instructions

Step 1 Using the 12 ga. wire, make two rings with a diameter of 1.2cm, and eight with a diameter of 2.5cm.

Step 2 Open the rings and forge their ends flat with a raising hammer. File and sand all the ends round.

Step 3 Align the edges of each ring, hold each one upright on an anvil, and tap it lightly with a mallet to make it slightly oval and to cause the ends to overlap.

Step 4 Place all the rings flat on the anvil and apply a hammered texture to them.

Step 5 On each ring, use a center punch to mark a drill hole for a rivet in the center of the flared ends. Drill, using a 1.3mm bit. Use a 3mm bit to clean off the burrs and to slightly countersink both sides.

Step 6 Cut 10 pieces of fine silver wire, each 3/8" (1cm) long, and ball one end of each wire.

Step 7 Link the larger rings one into the next to form a chain. At one end, add one small link, and link the other small link to the previous small one. Check all the holes drilled in Step 5 for alignment, and adjust the shape of the rings as necessary.

Step 8 Fit, cut, and set one rivet at a time, resting the balled side of the rivet on a scrap of wood (the one you use for drilling into is fine) to keep it round.

Step 9 To make the toggle, forge the 8 ga. wire into square wire. File and sand both ends smooth. Mark the center with a center punch, then drill it with a 1.3mm bit. Countersink the hole on both sides, using a 3mm bit.

Step 10 Cut a piece of fine silver wire 1½" (3.8cm) long. Use a torch to ball one end. Slide the wire through the hole drilled into the toggle, and make a wrapped loop, catching the end of the chain with the small link in the loop. Cut off any excess wire.

Finished Size

9" (22.9cm) long
Each link: roughly 1" (2.5cm) in diameter

This is a free bonus project excerpted from the book entitled Chains Chains Chains: 25 Necklaces, Bracelets & Earrings by Joanna Gollberg The book is available for sale in select Michaels stores and to U.S. customers at books.michaels.com.