Chain Necklace

The chain is the part nobody photographs and everybody notices when it kinks. This collection covers box, satellite, paperclip, figaro and lariat chains — plain, or carrying a name, initial, star or evil eye. All 18K gold vermeil over solid sterling silver, or gold plated, in gold, silver and rose gold, 14 to 20 inches, from $37.

Chain Necklace Questions

Can a chain necklace be shortened?

Yes, and it's a quick job for any bench jeweller — links come out and the clasp goes back on. Box and cable chains shorten cleanly. Rope and herringbone are more awkward because the pattern has to line up. If you're between lengths, buying shorter and adding an extender is easier than the reverse.

Can a broken chain be repaired?

Almost always, and usually for less than replacing it. A snapped link or a failed clasp is a five-minute solder. The exception is herringbone — once it kinks it never lies flat again, and no repair fixes that. It's the one chain type worth being careful with.

Do chain necklaces stretch?

Not the chain itself, but the links open over time under a heavy pendant, which looks the same. It's why a fine chain under a wide nameplate eventually fails at the bail. Match the chain to the pendant: dainty pendants on fine chains, wider ones on something with weight.

What chain length should I buy?

16 inches sits at the base of the throat, 18 just below the collarbone, 20 on the chest over a crewneck. For layering, space them two inches apart — 16 and 18, or 16, 18 and 20. 12 and 14 inch are choker lengths and worth measuring your neck for rather than guessing.

How do you stop chains tangling when layered?

Different lengths and different weights. Two chains of the same gauge at similar lengths will braid themselves within an hour. Two inches apart with visibly different link patterns — a box chain and a paperclip, say — stays separate. A layering clasp joins them at the back if you want to stop thinking about it.

Can chain necklaces get wet?

Water is fine. Chlorine and soap film aren't — soap collects in the links and dulls the whole chain in a way a pendant never shows. Rinse and dry properly if you shower in it. At 3.0 microns of gold over sterling silver these hold up well, but plating is plating.

For chains carrying something, see name necklaces, initial necklaces and necklaces. Specific styles sit in paperclip necklaces and herringbone necklaces.