Sailor’s Chain.

By Marion le Red

Barony of Windmasters Hill.

The sailor’s chain has been found from Roman times through present day.

The sailor’s chain is a type of loop in loop chain. My primary influence for this chain is a chain found at the site of the Roman fort at Newstead in Roxburghshire UK. Though the same chain has been seen in Roman through modern times.

In making the sailor’s chain I used the size suggestions from Classical Loop-in-Loop Chains & Their Derivatives by Jean Reist Stark and Josephine Reist Smith. Making each ring a ½ in diameter before fusing. I used an oxy- propane torch to fuse each loop. In period the loops would have been place on a charcoal block and headed until the ends of the loop fused together. Then quickly removed from the fire.  Each loop was then formed in to the classic figure 8 link by elongating each loop folding it and then manipulating the loop in to its final size. Then the loops where assembled into the necklace.  By placing one loop inside of the other and closing the loop.

For a clasp I fused one loop on the end heating the end of the loop until it balled up. Then forming it into a hook. I decided not make the clasp documented here with a wheel, since this necklace is to be an A&S prize for Ymir 2010 and I wanted it to be generic to several time periods so that it would be warn. I also decided not to make the hook seen here since the gage of the wire in the hook is larger than that of the chain. The hook seen in the picture below is sturdier because of its thicker gauge wire. I did not have a second gage of silver wire so I decided to make a hook I fashioned myself..

Necklace

This silver necklace is from the site of the Roman fort at Newstead in Roxburghshire. The chain and the miniature wheel were discovered near one another and it seems certain they formed part of a single piece.

Silver necklace with a small eight spoke wheel ornament and crescent attached, from Newstead

The miniature wheel and a crescent-shaped pendant were joined to the chain. Symbols of the sun and moon respectively, the wheel and crescent were worn as amulets to promote good luck and ward off evil spirits.

http://nms.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-100-037-209-C&scache=52wum1zmjk&searchdb=scran    1/14/2010

Other references:

Classical Loop-in-Loop Chains & Their Derivatives by Jean Reist Stark and Josephine Reist Smith, Brynmorgen Press, ISBN 0-615984-8-4