Loop in Loop Chains
(Roman Chains, Thai Weave ...)

Making loop-in-loop chains is also a very old technique. Basically, the name refers to the fact that the chain is made by interlocking many small loops.

The loops are usually created by fusing a ring of wire to make a solid link, often using fine silver or gold. "Fusing" means that only heat is used, no solder. A length of wire is shaped into a circle, with the ends meeting very snugly. The piece is then heated to the point where the metal flows together, thus joinging the ends. This is a very secure method, as it makes one continuous link, as opposed to a link with a solder joint. One must be careful, though, not to heat the wire to the point where it actually melts and becomes deformed! These rings can be soldered closed, instead, if desired. A chain may easily require a 200 good links, and an average success rate might be only 50%, which means over 400 links were made! Once all of the good links are made, they are bent into the approprate shape for the chain to be created. Usually that means making them oval, then bending them around a mandrel. Once they are all shaped, they can be linked together to make a chain. That may be a multi-step process, initially linking them, then shaping them more to accept the next link. A lot of work goes into making all of the pieces for the chain, but once the chain is made, it really is a beautiful work of art.

Examples of loop-in-loop chains on my site include "Roman Chain" and "Thai Weave". There are many others, too.