I first stumbled upon Ralph Helmrich's wonderful chain mail pictorials or picture tutorials on Flickr  - my favorites are shown and linked below. The trail then led me to his Etsy supply store called Unkamen Supplies as well as his family's finished chain mail jewelry one called Unkamen Gifts.

free jewelry making tutorial
Star Chain Mail Pendant Tutorial
Why "Unkamen"?  Ralph explained, "We are an uncommon family, so we needed an Unkamen name!"  The entire family is involved in their combined jewelry making businesses including the two home-schooled teenagers, Leah and Byron and Ralph's wife, Karen, who basically takes care of the business side of things as well as create jewelry. They have two home bases in Texas as well as Missouri. They also spend as much time as they can traveling in their 40 ft RV!

Chain Mail Cross Tutorial

 Ralph explains how he got into the business,  "I love making chain mail jewelry, but was unable to purchase jump rings that met my standards, so I invested in the equipment and started making them myself. Over 40 years engineering experience paid off!" 

free jewelry making tutorial
This and That Rubber Jump Ring Bracelet tutorial

He has come a long way since making that first chain mail necklace for Karen some years ago. Today he sells precision cut rings and other supplies. He's not kidding either as you can see from the tutorial pictures.

Battenburg Lace Bracelet Tutorial
One lucky winner of today's giveaway will receive a $50 gift certificate for either of his stores.  If you aren't certain what ring sizes are required, just ask Ralph. He is also offering readers of this blog a 15% discount coupon. The code to use is PEARL15.

Stretchy Persian Chain Mail Tutorial

free jewelry making tutorial
Jingle Bell Anklet Tutorial

Giveaway
If you'd like to win either finished chain mail jewelry or supplies to make your own, please make a comment below. Make sure you leave contact info if you do not have an online shop or blog.

Subscribers need to click on the post title to come to my actual blog. Scroll down and enter your comment. Pick Name/URL. If you don't have a store or blog, leave the URL blank. Please leave an email at the very least so I can contact you easily if you win.

This is an international giveaway.

Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower etc. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway,  those will count as additional entries too!  Please say so in the comments.

It ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, May 28, 2012. I will pick a winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to leave a contact email if you don't have an online link or make sure you come back and check! Otherwise I will redraw in a week. Good luck!

Before You Go:
Disclosure
This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips