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Medieval Chain Mail Necklace

Medieval Chain Mail Necklace

This necklace features three (3) rings of chain mail from the 15th Century (CE) Medieval Chain Mail Tunic used to craft the Second Edition of the Mini Museum. This period is considered the sunset of chain mail in Europe, as advanced plate armor completely supplanted mail. It is available in both silver and gold.

Silver and Gold

As pictured, the chain mail rings are interspersed with Sterling Silver or 14kt Gold-Filled rings. Both silver and gold versions of this necklace feature a cable-style chain that measures 18-inches (~45cm). The complete necklace comes in a decorative box and includes a small information card about the specimen. The card serves as the certificate of authenticity and can be found underneath the padded lining of the display box.

The silver version is shipped within a small anti-tarnish bag to protect the silver elements of the piece during storage and transport. You may wish to keep this bag to store your piece when you are not wearing it.

About Medieval Chain Mail

"When we made the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, most of us wore imitation chain-mail made out of knitted wool, which was uncomfortable enough, but Graham Chapman, as King Arthur, wore a genuine metal chain mail coif and found the weight of it unbearable for more than short periods." ~ Terry Jones

Valued for flexibility in combat, chain mail was the primary defensive armor in Europe for more than one thousand years.

Above: Folio 24-v from the Morgan/Maciejowski Bible (c. 1250 CE)

To create a 'chainmail' or 'maille' garment, thousands rings would be punched out whole or riveted from strands of wire. A blacksmith would weave the rings into sheets using a pattern of interlocking rings. Patterns varied by region, dictated by armaments and fighting styles. Given the labor intensive process of weaving, chain mail garments were very costly to purchase but relatively simple to repair.

Above: Folds of chain mail from the 15th century.

While the design of chain mail provided good protection from edged blades, it did little to ease the force of the blow. For this reason, knights would also wear quilted jackets beneath and over the mail.

Above: Macro image of a chain mail ring.

The earliest chain mail dates to the Etruscans, but the Celts are usually credited with creating the industry of chain mail in the 5th century with their 4-in-1 pattern.

Chain mail garments were heavy. A coif, such as the hood pictured here, could weigh as as much as 11kg (25lbs) and mailshirts in excess of 27kg (60lbs).

In European armor there are two main types of mailshirts: the hauberk and the haburgeon (the later being a sleeveless garment). Quilted jackets worn beneath the mail is referred to as a gambeson.

Please Note: All of the silver components in the silver version of this necklace are solid Sterling Silver. All of the gold components in the gold version of this necklace are 14kt Gold-Filled. Gold-filled items are not solid gold alloy but rather a layered material that is created by bonding gold alloy to a base metal using heat and pressure. This mechanical method allows for precise control of the amount of gold (5% of weight by law). It also provides a durable surface that far outlasts chemical gold-plating, which on average transfers less than 0.05% gold alloy to the base metal.

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