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Our love of the Japanese style knows no bounds, and once you master the general idea, it’s impossible not to want to play with it.   First up we used copper 3/16″ rings and connected them with 1/8″ Anodized Aluminum, then used the little rings to make swoops connecting each triangle. Then we decided to go purple with an all-Aluminum version. And following that up is a Fall combo in Brown and Green. These designs are now available in the shop: https://squareup.com/store/the-velvet-zebra

No outfit is complete without a good pair of earrings – whether you’re dressing up or being causual, a pair of these hanging from your ears is the perfect finishing touch. Our French loops (the part that goes through your ear) are made of Surgical Steel, and we finish them all with a little rubber back, so they won’t take a walk out of your lobe. The rings and scales are all Anodized Aluminum, ensuring each pair – no matter how long or elaborate – remain so light weight you’ll forget you have them on.   It’s impossible for us to show off each and every pair we make because we have more than we can count, so every month we will post a “seasonal” collection, starting off here with our October/Fall colors. Nothing says Fall like some good old fashioned Orange, Green, and Purples!

The Leaves are Falling! Technically these “leaves” are called Scales, and they’re used to make Scalemaille – which is just what it sounds like, chainmaille with scales.   While it is generally used to enhance or decorate maille outfits, we also like to use it for jewelry, as in these necklaces (and the earrings we will post next week). In Black and Red, we created several of what we call Dragon Tails, hanging down from a necklace of Helm design. In Blue and Silver, we again hung different sizes of Scales from a Helm necklace.   In Pink and Silver, we went a different route and wove the scales in a Dragon Heart pattern, using a frosted silver scale against Pink and Frost rings. And finally in Red and Silver we hung a small section of scale armor from another Helm necklace. All of the rings and scales are Anodized Aluminum and all are now available in the shop: https://squareup.com/store/the-velvet-zebra

These little guys are fun and interesting – they’re made of EPDM, which is a fancy sort of rubber, and 1/8″ 20 gauge Anodized Aluminum, which is a tiny, very light weight ring holding the rubber rings together.   It’s a complicated pattern, because the rubber rings do not open or close, they’re simply round rings, so you have to think three steps ahead. It’s a form of Japanese 8-in-2, with the rubber rings being the 2 and the 1/8″ aluminum the 8. They are the perfect companion for amy dark and stormy night. They each weight only 1 ounce and have magnetic clasps keeping them from flying away. They are all now available in the shop:   https://squareup.com/store/the-velvet-zebra

These necklaces all use a variant of a style interestingly named Rondo a’la Byzantine. That’s a fancy way of saying they’re Helm with a few added twists that we played twister with. First up, in the Seahawk colors, we used different sizes than you’re supposed to, for a fun look. The second picture in red and silver we simply took the helm portion and let it drop down as well as around.   In the Rose and Black Ice we took twisted to a new level, and used twisted rings – if you look closely you can see each Black Ice ring is made from twisted wire.     The Frost and Red necklace we call Winter Wonderland – it’s “almost” standard, we just used different sizes. And finally in Rose and brown, we have your just-about-basic Rondo a’la Byzantine.   We just finished it a little differently to add movement. They are all now available in the shop:   https://squareup.com/store/the-velvet-zebra

Just when you thought all we did was in Anodized Aluminum . . . These necklaces have some Enameled Copper thrown in for good measure, and a little weight. The Frost, Purple and Blue has only Frost Anodized Aluminum, the Purple and Blue are Enameled Copper, giving this necklace a weight of 1.8 ounces. Next in Frost, Yellow and Purple, again only the Frost is Aluminum, with the Purple and Yellow being Copper. This one weighs in at 2.2 ounces. Following that is Red, Black and Frost – with the Red and the Black in Copper for a 2 ounce necklace. Then another 2 ounce necklace is in Frost, Burgundy and Yellow. And finally, in ALL Enameled Copper, we have one in Natural and Burgundy, weighing in at a whopping 3 ounces. They are all now available in the shop:   https://squareup.com/store/the-velvet-zebra

Some days you need to make a statement, and making a statement is easier when it weighs only 2 ounces. For these Flower necklaces, we took the style known as Helm and used sizes of rings you’re not suppose to use to make Helm. Then we brought them full circle and put a center ring in the middle of the “flower” to hold the shape. From there it was just a matter of making more and connecting them together. All are made with Anodized Aluminum, so although they look impressive, they feel light as air. They are all now availabe in the shop:   https://squareup.com/store/the-velvet-zebra

We call this design Through The Hoops. All we did here was make a section of European 4-in-1 then took some 3/4″ rings and grabbed a few of the smaller rings, alternating sides of the pattern to make a roller coaster effect through the 4-in-1.   Then we finished them off with either Helm or Full Persian around the neck and tied it all together with a magnetic clasp. Again, it’s all Anodized Aluminum so these necklaces are light as a feather and really vibrantly colored. They are all now available in the shop: https://squareup.com/store/the-velvet-zebra

These are more Japanese style, using 3/16″, 1/8″, 3/4″, 1/2″ and sometimes 5/8″ rings to vary the size of the patterns. This time we really wanted to have fun with the mix of larger rings to smaller rings.     We call the result Japanese Lace.   They weigh 2 oz and 1 oz respectively thanks to the Anodized Aluminum.   They are all now available in the shop: https://squareup.com/store/the-velvet-zebra