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When we first see thas a'dam it is specifically noted as having a leash between the collar and bracelet.
But when Moghedien is captured she moves around freely without a leash.
I realise the a'dam in question was created by Elayne, and assume simply that she created it without a leash. But is this the case? And if so, is it ever detailed in the books?
Elayne does experiment quite a lot with ter'angreals. For the specific case of the a'dam, she tried it first in the Tel'aran'rhiod with Nynaeve and discovered that the leash was useless to its ter'angreal purpose.
The leash is convenient for sul'dams as it shows clearly the connection, but it was very impractical (to say the least) for Elayne and Nynaeve to have their 'servant' on a leash. It was already quite suspicious to have a servant with strange jewelry.
ter'angreal. It simply forms a physical connection between the damane and the sul'dam. It makes sense to not use a leash in Salidar so as not to arouse suspicion.
Yes, Elayne makes the a'dam without a leash. She gets the idea from the dream world, when she (or maybe Nynaeve) imagines the collar without a leash on Moghedien.
Aside from the other (correct) responses, the male a'dam intended for Rand also doesn't have a leash. Either the Seanchan never realized that the leash is unnecessary, or prefer the leashed version (either for reasons of custom/tradition, or to provide some physical link between a particular sul'dam and damane -- since without the leash it wouldn't be apparent which damane a given sul'dam was linked to).
