One of the most popular bracelet weaves I make is the Byzantine weave. It's a classic chainmail weave rooted in antiquity that's beautifully simplistic. And since the base weave is simple there are many variations that build off of the design.
Byzantine is shown above in stainless steel. The weave is formed from pairs of rings linked together in a chain with sets folded back at regular intervals before the next pair is added. This feature gives the chain the alternating V shapes that make it so much more interesting than a plain two-by-two chain. These shapes are visible on all sides of the bracelet since Byzantine is a round weave and not a flat weave.
Byzantine is an old weave. The name is linked to the Byzantine Empire where art and craftsmanship flourished from the 4th to the 15th century, and the intricately woven Byzantine chain seems right at home in this era. The design is suited for jewelry and was likely used for bracelets and necklaces then as it is today. This differs from the European and Japanese chainmail weaves whose origins were in creating armor for protection in warfare.
I consider Byzantine a foundational weave. This is by no means to say that it's inferior, rather that it has a clean, repeating structure which can be used as a starting point for many other weaves. In many beginner chainmail classes, Byzantine is often the first weave that people learn. (The first weave I learned was European 4-in-1.)
Byzantine can be constructed in one long chain, adding each pair onto a growing length. But my preferred method is shown above. I like to create ten-ring lengths of two-by-two chains and then link them together with their ends folded back, Byzantine style. Also depending on which variation of the weave I'm making, I may create little individual Byzantine units before I connect them together in a chain. I like to call these units Byzantine worms (shown below).
One of the things I enjoy the most with Byzantine weave is the huge amount of variation that can be made using the base unit. Perhaps the most recognizably Byzantine of these variations that I have is the bracelet I call Dual Byzantine where two Byzantine chains are connected together with large central rings.
Byzee Bees to Butterflies is a Byzantine variation with a cute name. It's formed by connecting Byzantine units sideways instead of end to end.
Byzantine Ladder is another variation that joins the units sideways. It differs from Byzee Bees in that the little Byzantine worms are completed before they are joined. I just learned this weave earlier this month, and I haven't even created all of the samples needed for the website listing yet.
In addition to the classic Byzantine bracelet and all these variations, I also make two stretchy versions. The Stretchy Byzantine shown below on the right is a stretchy version of the basic Byzantine. And the Stretchy Meeple, shown below on the left, is a stretchy version of the Byzee Bees to Butterflies weave.
This year has been a great year of growth for new chainmail and new conventions, and I'm looking forward to 2025 being even better. I have a great line up of shows that I'm already signed up to participate at for next year. There are some old favorites on the list, as well as some new shows that I haven't been to before. I'll likely be adding to the list as time goes on, so check out my Shows page to see the most up-to-date list.
Jan 31 - Feb 2, Warwick RI:Â CaptainCon
Feb 20-23, Marlborough, MA: TotalCon
Apr 4-6, Washington DC:Â AwesomeCon
Jun 18-22, Columbus, OH: Origins Game Fair
Jun 27-29, Indianapolis, IN: PopCon Indy
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