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Imperfections Everywhere!

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Categories: Experiences and daily life; Jewelry; Commerce and business

Word count/read time: 378 words; 1-1/2 minutes

Salvador Dali said don't be afraid of perfection because you will never attain it. The most positive meaning is to never be afraid of doing your best because perfection would only visit under the best circumstances. Many don't have this thirst for quality so it becomes a cat-and-mouse game of how much is enough while doing as little as possible.

Imperfections are something the creator should address so their buyers don't have to. Deformities caused by poor workmanship are a far cry from the imperfections attributed to nature. They are not charming or welcome on quality pieces. It could actually be a functional flaw so the only way to know for certain is to redo it properly.

A bad closure on a jump ring goes beyond an imperfection. It denotes poor workmanship and shows a misunderstanding of the fundamental principles of chainmaille. While they are easily identified in a weave, most artists are oblivious or simply don't care enough to fix them.

Ditto for pinch- or shear-cut rings. There is no confusion about the value of pinch-cut rings: Garbage In = Garbage Out. Manufacturers concerned with quality will only use saw-cut rings.

Whoever says otherwise has failed to understand what makes a beautiful chain. Still, industry veterans, experts, professionals, and even entire companies make a living from selling low-quality materials. Hobbyists, crafters, and novices are no less guilty since they can choose what and where to buy.

There are three steps for making maille: open ring, insert it, close it. You can't partially open it or partially insert it or partially close it and expect anything but glorified barbed wire. Admittedly, some rings and patterns are a bit harder to weave than others but even grade-schoolers can make absolutely stunning pieces.

Math explains it better. Each step relies on the previous step and compounds any existing errors. Let's say you work at 90% precision. The first step would be 90%. The second step is 90% of whatever arrived there, so 90% of 90% is 81%. The next step is 90% of what arrived (90% of 81%), so 72% waltzes in. Each step needs to be precise because quality declines quickly. Most may not notice or care, or care to notice, but legitimate craftspeople will not let these things pass.

Posted by M: January 31, 2018

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