About Us

My interest in jewelry design began years ago when I was fruitlessly searching the net for good quality bellydance jewelry. Everything I found was made of base metals and only intended to be seen from a distance. I wanted real jewelry.

When I saw handmade chains for the first time, it was love at first sight. My hands took up this skill in the way you relearn something familiar but long unused. There's a soothing, meditative quality to making something in the same way it was made thousands of years ago, and making chainmaille strangely satisfies the sense of longing one sometimes feels for ancient times.

My husband, Gary, who is ever supportive of my endeavors, learned to cut the most beautiful rings for my chainweaving. Before long, he was cutting extra rings for jewelry-making friends who wanted to buy them and I was answering all sorts of questions about which rings for which weaves... and then Gary thought of kits and I thought that was brilliant. That idea gave us a chance to work together on something we care about and it's turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us.

We sold our house and invested in commercial grade equipment which Gary set up and worked with on weekends and evenings while continuing to travel and work full time in the computer industry.

Meanwhile, I spent a year preparing, working out a logical system for learning ever more complex chain weaves, then designing the kits, writing the books and building the website. Gary soon left his job to work for Urban Maille full time. That was 2003 and we've been doing what we love ever since.

We hope you enjoy your time here and find it beautiful. If you have any questions, comments, or just want to say hi, please get in touch. We love hearing from people who share our appreciation of the ancient artistry of chains.

-- Aislyn

  • 'Cause when a Texan fancies he'll take his chances,

    chances will be taken...

    that's for sure.


    Gary P. Nunn
    London Homesick Blues

  • Aislyn & Gary Bryan

    Urban Maille ChainWorks
    PO Box 682

    Pine, CO 80470

    USA
    303 895 2156

    contactus@urbanmaille.com