Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Chainmail & More?
We are artists who have been professionally handcrafting unique chain-mail jewelry in the USA since 1992. Our chain mail and jewelry wear is comfortable, durable, and there's no need to wait months for it. We'll handcraft your order within the week, usually sooner, and back our craftsmanship up with a money back guarantee and limited lifetime warranty.
How did you start doing this?
Strangeblades & More was started on July 1st in 1992 by Greger and Sunshyn. When it began, the emphasis was on Greger's custom knives. Sunshyn's chainmail and jewelry designs were a brand new sideline. Those designs really kicked off, and we've been coming up with new ideas and creations ever since. Now the knives are a very small part of our business and are never sold via mail order. We handcraft all our items ourselves so our products are all made in the USA.
Strangeblades & More has since become Chainmail & More LLC, but our priority of creating high quality, handmade art has never changed.
Do you have the item I want in stock?
We handcraft our products to order so very few of our items are in finished form beforehand. However, we also
have an exceptionally fast turnaround time for hancrafted works. Our average time for orders to be completed and
shipped is 3 business days after payment is verified. We ship all orders within a week of payment verification.
We do not recommend attempting to purchase any handcrafted to order goods at the last minute and remind you to order early for
Halloween and Christmas/Solstice.
Please be aware that there is a 20% restocking fee on express shipped items.
Do you have a catalog or storefront?
Our offerings are too specialized to make owning our own storefront a viable option in CT.
We also have very little finished stock onhand because we make our items to order.
We no longer offer a full print catalog. It was discontinued because we found it to be much more efficient to put
that time and expense into our product line and online catalog.
What is chainmail?
No, it has nothing to do with chain letters. Chainmail (chain mail, chainmaille, etc.) is the craft of forming rings from wire and interlinking them, typically in weave arrangements which were once used to make chainmaille armor in ancient and medieval times. We at Chainmail & More not only create this traditional material with our own hands (OK, with the help of wire cutters and hand pliers), but we bring it into modern times by using it to make wearable works of art never before seen until we imagined and created them.
How should chainmail be cleaned and cared for?
Our products should be kept in a dry place. We recommend storing your items in a re-sealable bag to better keep their shine.
All of our creations are made for fashion use rather than for continuous wear.
To clean, don't do anything that wouldn't be done to jewelry. Do NOT use any sort of heavy abrasive cleaner or method. Doing
so effectively ruins the pieces, leaving scratches and removing any finish. A jewelry cleaning cloth is usually beneficial,
especially on tin-plate and brass items. Most of our work can be washed with soap and water, just be certain to dry it thoroughly
immediately afterward. You may also use non-abrasive jewelry tumbling. Brass links can also be shined
with lemon oil.
Do you actually make this stuff?
Yep, handmade by the artist/owners ourselves right here in the USA. Every chainmail and jewelry item on our site is our own design, many are new ideas which never existed before we imagined them and then worked out how to make it a reality. We handcraft every item ourselves.
Even with all the extra care that we put into our work, we have an extremely fast turn around time
for artist handcrafted creations. Although few items are stocked in finished form, we rarely
take more than a few days to complete and ship even larger orders.
Why don't you sell full shirts/armor?
There are many chainmail makers who specialize in armor. We prefer to create our own unique designs
and leave the armor requests for those who would rather make that type of piece.
Is [item name] sold by the pair or singly?
We handcraft each of our products individually and all are sold singly unless otherwise noted in the product description.
Occasionally, a product is often purchased two at a time. In such cases, when we are able to, we offer a lower price per pair as a dropdown box option below the product description.