Herringbone Necklace

Because of what makes them look good. The links are flat slivers set at an angle, and the whole chain works as one continuous surface — so bending it sharply in the wrong direction creases it permanently, like folding a ribbon. Once a herringbone kinks, it never lies flat again.

Rarely, and honestly this is the main thing to know. A jeweller can sometimes ease a slight bend, but a real crease is permanent — the links have deformed. That's not a fault in the chain, it's the trade-off for the finish. Treat it as the one chain you don't sleep in.

Flat and straight, not coiled or hung on a hook. A drawer, lying out, is ideal. Coiling it tightly in a pouch is how most of them get damaged, and it happens in a jewelry box rather than in wear.

Only carefully. A second chain rubbing across it can catch and twist the flat surface. If you layer it, put the herringbone as the shortest chain with nothing lying over it, and avoid pairing it with anything that has open links.

16 or 18 inches. Herringbone looks best sitting flat against the collarbone where it can show its full width. Longer than 20 and it disappears into a neckline, which wastes the one thing it does better than any other chain.

If you want a chain that reads as a solid band of gold rather than a series of links, nothing else does it. It just needs handling as an occasion or careful-daily piece rather than something you sleep and shower in. That's a fair trade for a lot of people, and an annoyance for others.