How to Figure Out Aspect Ratio

I have been asked many times what size jump rings I use to make a particular Chain Maille Design. It all depends on the size I want the design to be. That's why Aspect Ratio (AR) is so important to learn for the Aspiring Chain Maker.

Aspect Ratio = Inner diameter / wire diameter

By using the proper AR your Chain Maille pattern will look more pleasing to the eye. Most Chain Maille patterns can be made from a variety of jump rings but some just look better than others. Take a moment and look at an example of the Byzantine Pattern made with two different size jump rings.

Photo A

Photo B

The above examples are the Byzantine pattern made with two different 18ga jump rings. Again, many Chain Maille patterns can be made with more than one size jump ring. I personally prefer Photo B because the Byzantine pattern is much fuller and not as open looking as Photo A. By using the proper AR for the Byzantine pattern we can figure out which size jump ring and gauge wire to use. The Byzantine pattern can be made in many different width's. We can make a dainty size bracelet for a women, or a heavy size for a man. If the ideal AR for the Byzantine is 3.5 and would like to make it in 12ga to make a man's bracelet we can use are formula to figure out what ID jump ring we will need.

By switching are formula above we can figure are Inner Diameter by using

Wire diameter *AR = Inner diameter
Example: 2.0523 * 3.5 = 7.18305mm

We can round off are number and make are Byzantine using 12ga 7mm ID jump rings. The calculations above were made using American Wire Gauge mm sizes. You can find a wire conversion chart to help you calculate out other sizes.

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