I made this chain for Heracles, so it came out massive. A little over a whole pound of silver went into this one, each link .999 fine silver, terminating in two lions holding onto two snakes whom are intertwined in a Heracles knot and themselves. Each end cap contains a scene from two of Heracles 12 labors: The clasp side, Heracles assisted by his cousin, Iolaus slaying the Hydra, and a crab sent by Hera to distract him. The opposite, his last labor, Capturing and bringing Cerberus to king Eurystheus, Who jumped into a clay jar to hide from the beast begging Heracles to leave.
These scenes are based on vase paintings from ancient Greece. The Lions inspired by a bracelet from the same ancient times.
The chain was hand fabricated, woven of links made from hand pulled 2.3mm .999 silver wire, the lions sand cast from an original mold I made via lost wax, the snakes also lost wax. the end caps are made from sheet and entirely hand engraved, and the whole entire chain is hand stippled for that matte sheen.
This piece was started in December of 2021, when I first finished this chain I was not satisfied with the clasp mechanism, so it sat for a few years waiting for me to give it the overhaul it deserved, now with its new clasp, its ready to live.
This loop in loop style of chain is an ancient one, almost every ancient civilization that mastered metalworking has developed a similar loop in loop chain, Greeks, Vikings, Thai, Egyptians, they all made this style. Keep an eye out next time you are at a museum and you will probably notice some chains with a similar weave.
The clasp is in one of the end caps, you just push down each side and pull, and it just clicks back in.
.999 Silver Loop in Loop Chain
.925 Silver Ends/Snakes
30 1/4 inches
17.7 Troy Ounces Total weight
pendants will need to have an opening of at least 14mm (9/16 inch) to fit on this massive chain.