Spiral Chain, also known as Single Spiral, is an unstable member of the spiral family of weaves; unstable due to the fact that it 16g Sterlingunspirals unless fixed at both ends, as it is when used as a drape or swag, or when closed into a continuous length of chain without a clasp. There are at least four ways to stabilize spiral chain so that it can be used with a clasp. 1) Two lengths of spiral chain can be twined together and joined at both ends to create a stable length of doubled chain; 2) Each ring can be doubled within the weave to create a stable length of Double Spiral, as taught with our Double Spiral 4-in-1 Kit; 3) Spiral Chain can be woven of rings with such a small aspect ratio that they lock into place and therefore can't unspiral. This variation is known as Jens Pind's Linkage. Or; 4) a perfectly stable and stunningly beautiful Spiral Chain can be woven of half round rings. It's this last, rarely used option that is the focus of this page.

Specifics Regarding Aspect Ratio

Spiral 6-in-1 forms units of 6 rings; each 7th ring begins a new unit. When the ring size is perfect, the spiral is completely uniform because the space between units matches the space between rings within a unit. If the aspect ratio is a little too large, you'll see a slightly larger space between the units. The chain still looks good, it's just not quite as hypnotic as the endless spiral you get with the perfect ring size. If the aspect ratio is slightly too small, the units crowd each other and push some rings out of place. A new chain will often look as though it's crowded at first but can be smoothed out nicely once the chain is at least 3 units in length.

Half Round Rings in General 10g Sterling

Half round rings, by the nature of their shape, present certain challenges. First, don't be fooled by the gauge size. Half round rings are, obviously, only half the thickness of a round ring of the same gauge. Because of that, 16g rings feel only about as substantial as 20g rings, so you must adjust the pressure you apply accordingly. Also, you'll be grasping the rings on the sides by the fine edge where they can be most easily dented. For this reason, it's best to use two pair of flatnose pliers and grasp as much of each side of the ring between the jaws as you can, in order to spread the pressure evenly over the ring rather than concentrating it in a smaller area as you would with differently shaped pliers or with a more narrow grip on the rings. You'll probably crush a few while getting a feel for them but with these tips in mind, you'll adjust quickly. Because slow, even pressure is required for the suceessful use of half round rings, I don't recommend this ring shape for people who are still in the death grip stage of learning to make chain.

About Our Recommendations

Please keep in mind that these demonstration pieces were all made with our traditional sterling rings and our recommendations are based on those tests. Argentium sterling wire is slightly softer and copper wire is softer still so due to decreased springback, finished rings in those materials are the tiniest bit smaller than traditional sterling rings and therefore might not substitute well in the most snug fitting designs described below. Specific information on those materials is listed as soon as it's available but in the meantime, test the materials yourself or avoid using them when a particular ring size is described as being a tight fit for the weave. Our 18K gold rings are harder than sterling, making the rings ever so slightly larger so this is not an issue that affects them. Please keep in mind that our ring size recommendations apply perfectly to rings that we make but cannot and should not be assumed to apply to rings made by anyone else and certainly not to metals we don't even use.

Special Note Regarding This Chain

This chain is prone to severe tangling in the tumbler yet benefits a great deal from lengthy tumbling with regard to both smoothing and hardening the chain. Prior to tumble polishing, we recommend securing your chain with copper or silver scrap wire, twisty ties, tie wraps or similar into a loose coil or other configuration that won't allow the chain to twist enough to tangle.