There's a great deal of information on our site and it can take awhile to see everything so we've put together this little tour guide to get you started. Any time you click a link that takes you to another page, just click the First Visit icon near the top of the left menu bar to bring you back here to continue your site tour.

Let's start with a quick overview of the products we offer and the natural progression from one to the next. If you're interested in reading the other questions in our FAQ, click Information Archive in the menu bar across the top of this page and choose Frequently Asked Questions from the pulldown.

The icons on the left menu bar are quick links to some of the favorite information areas of the site. The News icon will always take you to the latest posts so you can see what's happening, if a new product has been released, etc. We rarely have shipping delays but if there is one, this is where it will be posted.

The far right menu bar consists of direct links to the various shopping areas of the site. The near right menu bar lists all the categories of information available here. Clicking any category that has a + sign next to the name will cause the menu to expand to show everything in that category.

In the near right menu bar, under Information Archive, you'll see the title About. If you click that name, it will expand to show pages about everything here; our rings, our kits, our website (that's the page you're reading now), etc. Click it again and that menu will close. Moving down from there....

How to explains various techniques in detail including how to close rings properly and how to use a rock tumbler to polish jewelry.

Order Processing will answer any question you might have regarding how to place an order and what to expect once you've done so.

Instructors & Retailers answers questions particular to those interested in reselling our products in shops, teaching what they've learned from our kits or using our kits in their classes.

You've already been introduced to our FAQ. The Information Journal is made up of posts on various topics including more on tumble polishing (be sure to read that if you're getting the dreaded black coating on your jewelry when you tumble it) and Resources for purchasing everything from tumblers and shot to gems.

The Library of Design provides help when you're planning projects of your own design incorporating weaves you've already learned. The Design Journal covers some principles of design... briefly but it'll grow.

The Weave Gallery -- among the most frequently accessed areas of the site -- lists recommended ring sizes and the number of those rings needed per inch (rpi means rings per inch... remember that, you'll need it later) for various weaves in various weights. The Weave Gallery is a huge project and will be a work in progress, probably for years, but if the data is available for the weave you're interested in, it's everything you'll ever need. Our latest addition to that area is speedy buttons for adding all the rings needed for a specified length of chain with one click.

Weights & Measures covers everything you need to convert ring sizes from any other system of measure (SWG, Imperial, outside diameter) to our ring sizes (AWG, metric, inside diameter). The section on problem solving is particularly useful.

Notes & Illustrations includes a few brief tutorials -- none as detailed as the instructions in our kits but enough to clarify the confusing bits of magazine published tutorials that prompted most of them -- and a lot of tips on good rings to use for this or that.

The Wall of Fame is a gallery of our customers' work and it's definitely among the most beautiful and awe inspiring sections of our site.

The next section of the near right menu is Newsletters. If you're new to Urban Maille, have a look at those. It's a good way to catch up on recent events and see what we've been up to. You can use the link at the bottom to subscribe, if you like, or you can do so when you place your first order.

I hope you've enjoyed your tour and that you feel at home here now that you know where everything is. If you have any questions we haven't answered, please don't hesitate to ask. Click Contact Us at the bottom of the far right menu bar to reach us anytime.

Oh, and... welcome to Urban Maille. We're happy to have you here. *s*

Does the site seem too dark?

Once in awhile, we get a note from someone having trouble reading the text on our site. Because I was a webdesigner for quite some time prior to UM, I know what causes the difficulty and I'd love the chance to help correct the problem. It will vastly improve your entire internet experience in addition to making the soft grey on black here the soothing combination it's meant to be.

Assuming you're using a PC with Windows installed, begin by clicking Start and then Control Panel. Double click the Display icon. Click the Appearance tab and then the Effects button. Where it says, "Use the following method to smooth the edges of screen fonts," choose ClearType. Click Ok, then Apply and close those windows. You'll notice that all the text on every site you visit will look about a thousand times better now.

Next, visit this page:

http://www.displaycalibration.com/brightness_contrast.html

...and set your contrast and brightness according to the instructions. It's easy and it makes a world of difference in what you see on your screen. Once you've made these adjustments, I think you'll find that our website is really easy on the eyes. *s*

P.S. Oftentimes the way an older monitor will die is to gradually become darker and darker, so slowly it's not noticeable. If you aren't able to adjust your monitor to the degree described on the calibration page and it's an older one, it might be time to replace it.