Dragonscale Tie

My first attempt at a chain maille tie is the Gracelock Tie, and is in my opinion the better of the two designs. As narrow ties came back into fashion, and wanting a design narrow enough to fit in tie clips, I revisited the maille tie and came up with this.

I used my typical 18g 1/4" ID rings for the larger ring size, and ~19.5g 5/32" rings for the smaller, both in bright aluminum. 18g rings can also work, as can stainless steel. Using stainless steel inner rings behind bright aluminum outer rings produces a contrast effect that makes the outer rings stand out more, which you may find favorable. The combination of 18g and stainless steel with less recoil will however result in a fairly snug weave and mean having to do quite a few more rows to reach full length. The knot is half-Persian 3-in-1 sheet 5 made from ~19.5g 5/32" rings, and is actually too dense at this AR to lie flat. Wrapped as it is, however, it produces a tight, smooth finish. The adjustable chain is half-Persian 4-1 in the 18g 1/4" bright aluminum rings.

This design produces a very smooth and slick tie (with especially subtle tapering), but connecting the knot is extremely challenging. The connecting rings are very tight, and the very best linkage will only make it slightly less obvious that the dragonscale portion simply attaches at the bottom rather than bunching into the knot. The knot itself is also prone to sitting twisted, leaving the back of the tie slightly exposed. If carefully positioned, however, it will almost look like a perfect tie.

The final result will catch the occasional eye, but is not loud or overly out of place among formal wear.