cMaille
Top shop for gifts.
Buyers bought gifts from this shop and gave them 5-star reviews!
Announcement
Please visit me at www.cMaille.com to see all my work & find out what I'm up to! — cMaille
Items
All Items
Reviews
-
![]()
someonewhodid on Feb 28, 2016
5 out of 5 starsI was looking for a necklace for my wife. I saw this tiny cube—less than 1” on a side! It was as intricate as it was beautiful. I'm not sure how something like that cube can even be made, but it obviously can be (by the right hands), and it is made with top-notch craftsmanship. The necklace was a great hit, and it has attracted a lot of attention—for its beauty and admiration for the creativity. There are so many nice things in the shop that I know I will be back.
-
![]()
aa28977rwalker on Feb 16, 2016
5 out of 5 starsHigh quality craftsmanship. On-time, very reasonably priced and looks great on my wife's arm.
-
![]()
Anonymous on Mar 2, 2011
5 out of 5 starsSusan was incredibly courteous and helpful, even after I had to send the watch back because I mis-measured. Ordering from her was a thoroughly pleasurable experience, and the watchband she made is absolutely gorgeous - the pictures simply don't do it justice!
-
![]()
Anonymous on Jan 9, 2011
5 out of 5 starsMy wife *loved* it, and it looks great on her, too! Very quick turnaround on the custom length as well - and well worth the slight increase in price to get that length. The silver "Infinity style" lobster-claw clasp that cMaille was able to substitute for me looks and works great, as my wife didn't want a magnetic clasp. I'll be watching cMaille's shop for future gift ideas, for sure!
About cMaille
-
![]()
tools of the trade -
![]()
supplies arrive: 16, 18, and 20 gauge jump rings -
![]()
a Japanese 12-in-2 cuff, nearly finished -
![]()
Turkish Roundmaille in progress -
![]()
a finished bracelet: Vertebrae
Crescent Maille: Chainmaille for change, one ring at a time. Weaving since 2007.
From the moment I picked up two pairs of pliers and started crafting my first chainmaille bracelet I was immediately hooked.
Most recent Kiva loan: https://www.kiva.org/lend/1017459
$25 to Isabela (of Grupo Las Inalcanzables) in Guatemala, a 29-year-old single mother of two, to buy yarn & thread for weaving traditional clothing that she sells to support herself and her children.
˙˙˙˙˙°.º.°.º.°˙˙˙˙˙
I started selling on Etsy in 2007. After taking a break, I have reopened with renewed aspirations: to offer fine chainmaille jewelry in bronze and other alternative & more affordable metals such as anodized niobium (along with sterling silver, of course), and to help give back. Through my various shops on Etsy I have, as of January 2016, made over 290 Kiva.org loans totaling $7,500.
In chainmaille, small metal rings called “jump rings” are woven together, one by one. A ring is opened with pliers, worked into its proper place, and then closed. The final result is a chain or mesh in a weave that may be very simple or quite complex. Chainmaille is simultaneously intricate and delicate, yet strong and substantial. As a jewelry-making technique, chainmaille has seemingly endless possibilities. When crafted to perfection, a chainmaille bracelet is an amazing thing, mesmerizing as it bends and moves and molds itself to your wrist: it almost feels alive.
Chainmaille is a passion and a joy. Creating jewelry in traditional & new weaves and using these weaves as a starting point for my own designs, I strive to make jewelry that is as much a pleasure to wear as it is to behold.
I took time off to focus on my 20+ year career as a fine art book designer for museums and galleries, as well as trying my hand at several other forms of art and craft. In 2015, I found there was a palpable missing piece that is chainmaille and I again picked up my pliers and rings.
˙˙˙˙˙°.º.°.º.°˙˙˙˙˙
• 10% of all sales will be loaned through Kiva.org. Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. I choose to lend to female artisans and entrepreneurs, particularly to those individuals in vulnerable or impoverished areas of the world who would otherwise be unable to secure the funding needed to pursue their dreams—to earn money to support their families, further their trades, make improvements to their homes, and send their children to school. Since loans must be made in increments of $25, I set aside 10% of each purchase until I have enough to make a loan. To see the loans made from sales of Crescent Maille (and my other crafting ventures before this), you can visit my lender page: http://www.kiva.org/lender/cMaille
Shop members
-
cMaille
Owner, Creator, Photographer
An award-winning designer & typographer of fine art books for museums & galleries worldwide, I turn to chainmaille in my free time as another way to express myself & my creativity, work with my hands, & give back to artisans in our global community.
Shop policies
Shopping from outside of the U.S.? Please see "International Orders" below, under "Shipping."
Custom orders: I like to take on custom orders if time & logistics permit. Please contact me, or use the "Request Custom Order" button on the shop home page.
˙˙˙˙˙°.º.°.º.°˙˙˙˙˙
In chainmaille, small metal rings called “jump rings” are woven together, one by one, using nothing but two pairs of pliers. A ring is opened with the pliers, worked into its proper place in the pattern, and then closed. The final result is a chain or mesh in a weave that may be very simple or quite complex. Please use care when fastening and unfastening your jewelry as the rings, including those used to secure the clasp, are not soldered.
Selling my various crafts & artworks on Etsy since 2005 (chainmaille; plush toys; drawings, paintings, & photographs; and Japanese temari), I have learned an important lesson: I value my time and trade, and believe in fair pay for all artists and artisans. Crafting chainmaille is very labor intensive and time consuming; many pieces are made from hundreds of individually linked rings, taking hours—then add in time for polishing, photographing, packaging, shipping, promotion, and all the additional tasks involved in running a shop on Etsy. I pay myself a fair wage and don't under-price my work simply to sell more pieces or undercut other sellers. Consider an investment in a piece of chainmaille as an investment in an heirloom.
• When you make a purchase, please be sure to check your Etsy conversations or your e-mail (including your spam or junk folder) within 24 hours in case I have any questions about your order.
• I personally confirm all transactions once I receive them; I’ll contact you again once your order has shipped.
• All items listed in the shop are ready for shipment in 2–5 business days as specified in the listing, though items will often ship sooner. Note: if sizing adjustments are required, please allow the extra turnaround time specified in the item listing (generally up to 10 business days, if not sooner).
• All jewelry is sent packaged gift-ready in a customized kraft jewelry box with an anti-tarnish tab and a complimentary Sunshine polishing cloth (I used to offer metal gift tins, and may do so again, but in the meantime I am trying to work in a more environmentally-friendly manner).
• I'm happy to send your purchase directly to a gift recipient, and can include a small card with a note that you compose. Please contact me for details at time of purchase, if not before.
• Color of images will vary on different monitors and screens on different computers and devices. I've done my best to accurately reflect the color of the jewelry (except for those images that are obviously modified, such as sepia-toned or black & white). In addition, and quite interestingly, I have found over time that the appearance and color of bronze shifts in different lights and situations (daylight, incandescent light, fluorescent light, etc.)—at times it appears far more pink, other times it appears more golden. It will tarnish much like copper, growing deeper copper-red over time.
Accepted payment methods