Chunky Bracelets

Looser than a fine chain — a heavier bracelet needs room to sit rather than grip. Two fingers between the chain and your wrist rather than one. A wide chain worn tight digs in at the clasp within an hour, and it's the main reason chunky bracelets get abandoned in drawers.

Noticeably, and that's either the appeal or the problem. A wide chain has real presence on the wrist, which is what people buy it for. If you've never worn one, expect to be aware of it for the first week. Hollow-link construction gives the look at a fraction of the weight.

Yes, and it's easier than on fine chains because the links are big enough to work with. Removing one link changes the length noticeably though — often a full centimetre — so a jeweller may need to fit a partial link or an extender to land it right.

One chunky bracelet plus one or two fine chains, not two chunky ones. Two wide chains on the same wrist knock against each other constantly, which wears the plating at the contact points and sounds louder than most people want.

They take more contact, being wider, but they also have more metal to lose — so in practice they hold up as well or better. At 3.0 microns over solid sterling silver, against an industry standard of 0.2, the flat faces of wide links wear before the edges do.

Bold gold chains have had a long run and show no sign of ending — the current direction is plain and heavy rather than decorated. A wide curb chain with no stones is the version that keeps selling.