Fun with Anodized Niobium

Just wanted to share some pictures of pieces I have created recently using the Anodized Niobium I sell at Aussie Maille.





This is a necklace with a Japanese 12in2 pendant and handmade chain. The niobium rings are from the Fire Mix I stock, and the silver rings are actually plated. It's a stunning piece of jewellery and one my daughter tried very had to convince me to give to her.



Again another Japanese 12in2 weave (such a versatile weave) this time as a flower. The niobium is from the Water Mix.





And just to prove I can do weaves other than the Japanese ones, here is a pair of earrings in the Double Vision weave. This time the Anodizied Niobium used is from the Peacock Mix .

Things have been a tad crazy

and as usual I neglected my poor blog...I'm sorry!

So not only am I insane enough to take on a chain maille jewellery business, but I have expanded my reach to include a chain maille supply business! I am now pleased to announce that I am the Australian Distributor for Spiderchain .....so I now would like to introduce Aussie Maille. Still in it's infancy, but we are pretty proud of it.

So lots of effort and time have been going into that site.....hopefully soon the madness will settle and I can get back to mailling.

We're moving!

I sit here surrounded by boxes and chaos. I hate moving, and wouldn't be doing it except there was no choice given to us.....the thrill of being a renter.

So with sadness we say goodbye to this house we have come to love, and look forward to a new adventure.

What this means though, is all my chain maille goodies are packed away and I am going through terrible withdrawal pains. To be honest I am bored out of my brain, and so over shoving things into boxes. Friday is the day we get the keys.....until then I will be a packing fool.

I sit here stunned......

Yesterday I applied to Trunkt and to be honest, I wasn't expecting a positive outcome, it is notoriously hard to get accepted to Trunkt, and even harder for jewellery artists.

Well today, after being out all day with the family, I came home to an email Welcoming me to Trunkt....I have to admit, I ran through the house screaming, I was a tad excited.

So I am still working my way through the site, setting things up and looking at what to do next....but I did manage to make this little badge

Off to have a celebratory champagne I think.

Busy Fingers

I have been busily making pieces for a party a friend wants to hold for me.....*gulp*...first time I will be really selling my pieces to the masses face to face. Luckily they are friends and shouldn't be too hard to stand up in front of and talk up my pieces.

None of the new pieces are listed in etsy yet, holding onto them until the party but here are a quick couple of pieces. The photography is quick and nasty, but it is all I have at present, and after a few weeks of beautiful weather it is wet outside again...*sigh*....that'll teach me to take so long to take photographs.

This is a pair of earrings in the Double Spiral Weave. I have a matching bracelet for this. Am going with a few sets this time and see how they sell.


Double Vision weave with a Siam Swarovski Crystal.

A simple chain with Swarovski Crystals and Pearls. Named this one Under the Jetty, but not sure if that will stay.

And still I wait.

Well now I have the shot, and OMG, the difference it makes to the finished pieces...they are now so shiny and extra beautiful. I love my tumbler.

So now I wait on more blades, finer ones than what I currently have. Oh boy, this certainly is taking some time to get it all to come together.

And while this is happening, I have itchy fingers wanting to get back into making pieces....hopefully it won't be long now.

I made these fun earrings recently...Enjoy.





These can be purchased at my etsy store. Other colours are available if you are interested.

I'm such a slacker

I have been so busy trying to get everything in place to cut my own rings. Who would have thought you needed so much "stuff".

I am now just waiting on some shot and I am good to go. Took delivery of my Sterling Silver wire yesterday, along with my tumbler. Unfortunately the place that sold me the tumbler didn't have the shot I wanted, and the place that sold me the shot didn't have the tumbler I wanted.....can you understand why this is taking so long!

I have many pieces in mind. New findings coming to help bring the weaves to life....to say I am excited is an understatement.

Keep listening, there will be new pieces soon, I promise!

It should be illegal to have this much fun!

So it has been a while since I put my fingers to keyboard and updated this page. In my defence, I did try a couple of times, but something kept happening to the update and I gave up!

But so much has happened. I now have my gorgeous Koil Kutter and miscellaneous tools that go with it. I have a work bench in my room....yippeee.

And today.....*insert drumroll*.....I actually made some jump rings today!

Here is the coil being wound onto the mandrel.






This one shows the coil, there is a slight gap at what was the start of the coil, but I think for a first go it's pretty good!







And here are the beautiful rings. They are a bit dark, need a good shine but I think they are very special.

When it Rains it Pours...they weren't wrong!

After such a long period of little or no rain the weather seems to be making up for it now. We may see the sun for a few short, and very hot, hours and then a storm hits and two or three more days of rain follows.....*sigh*....not good for outside play but at least I got a few pieces finished.

Today though, it did shine for a while so I quickly got out the trusty camera and got some useable shots off.


This particular bracelet took me days to finish. I kept finding myself hunching up over it and the back pain would start so I stopped. I have never before made this weave in this small a gauge, this one is 20 gauge whereas the other time I did this weave it was 16 gauge...such a difference to work.

But I am thrilled beyond belief with the final outcome, and am a bit saddened to actually have to list it for sale....but I can always do another later (much later). Oh the weave I hear you ask, is Half Persian 4 in 1 all in Sterling Silver....my precious!

This piece and a couple of others has been added to the etsy store....pop in for a visit and a look around!

It's been raining...heaps

So I haven't been able to get outside and take any photos. On the other hand, I did get one bracelet and two pairs of earrings done.

The sun is out today, but I have so much to catch up on in the house I am not going to get much time to play with photos...but here a couple of the bracelet. I have yet to put it up on etsy, that will come later today...so you get to have a preview!

This the Flat Box Chain weave and I have been dieing to make this one....and am pretty happy with the way it turned out. I hope to one day get around to making one for myself!





It is made from sterling silver and the clasp has an amethyst on it....just gorgeous.

New Pieces added to the store

Put a few new pieces up in the store this week. These items were all crafted from fine silver plated rings.

Why plated silver I hear you ask. Well these rings are made for me by a friend, she coils copper wire and hand cuts the rings, she then sends them off to be plated in fine silver (0.999% silver). I know the source, I trust the quality. They aren't cheap massed produced rings that are going to lose their plating in a hurry. It allows people who may not have been able to buy a sterling silver piece to enjoy chain maille jewellery as well.

This weave is called the Double Cross Chain and I think it makes a lovely, light and fun looking bracelet to wear. Although woven in 16 gauge rings (1.29mm) it is still really light to wear.


This weave is going to become a favourite of mine. The Half Persian 4 in 1. A bit tricky to start the piece but it looks fabulous. This one is also woven in 16 gauge rings, but I have in the planning to do a much finer gauge in smaller ring in Sterling Silver...keep an eye out for that!

Exciting News for Xiztance!

After some disappointing dealings with usual supplier my plans for making my own jumprings has been pushed forward.

I have ordered a Koil Kutter and all the bits that go with it from Dave Arens. I have purchased my first power tool as well! Yippee...I just have to make sure I don't cut off any fingers.

So to start with I will practise with copper, so expect to see some copper pieces in near future, before moving onto silver and gold filled.

Onwards and Upwards!

Custom Order

I was asked recently to create a bracelet for a 60th Birthday Present. Yep, I can do that! So after much toing and froing on the design this is what the final bracelet looks like. (click on the photos for larger images)



The weave is called Beez to Butterflies and is a Byzantine Variant. It has been created from Sterling Silver in 18 gauge wire (1.0mm) and it has a lovely weight to it.

I'm pretty happy with the design and overall look of the piece, can't wait to make another one.

Flickr account set up

Wow, things are moving along and I have finally set up a flickr account. You can see it here although there isn't much there at the moment. Now just have to get all these lovely sites linked and inline with each other.

Xiztance is on Etsy!

The place to be to buy handmade goods. Click on Mini Etsy to take you to the site and view all pieces currently available.

If there is something you like the look of, but want different metals etc, contact me and we can customise a piece to suit you.

Well all the cool kids are doing it.....

.... so I decided it was time to get my own blog happening.

Now I am notoriously haphazard in my approach to such things as keeping on a schedule, but I will do my best to keep this blog updated and hopefully, interesting.

So come back often and hopefully there will be something here for you to read.