The Kailua Village Artists Gallery will be featuring chain maille jewelry artist Leslie Munger during October.
Munger specializes in chain maille jewelry derived from the ancient art form of linking tiny metal “jump rings” together to form a metal mesh. Many centuries ago, blacksmiths discovered when joining tiny metal rings together to form a mesh, it was stab resistant against swords, daggers and arrows. Thus chain maille armored suits were created for knights and soldiers for battle. The Japanese created their own version of chain maille called kusari gusoku for their Samurai warriors.
Today, medieval armor has declined but chain maille is still used for protective gear, such as butchers gloves and shark diving suits. Over the years, the desire for exclusive jewelry has exploded. Today, chain maille necklaces, bracelets and anklets have become popular because of their unique beauty.
“This ancient art form is a distinctive hand-crafted process that does not lend itself to mass production. Each piece of jewelry takes many hours to create and is one of a kind,” said Munger, who uses only argentium sterling silver and gold filled jump rings for her jewelry.
The Kailua Village Artists Gallery is located at 75-5729 Alii Drive, Suite C-110, in the Kona Marketplace. The gallery is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. For more information, call 329-6653.