Infinity Necklace

Endlessness — a loop with no beginning. Most often read as lasting love, but it's used just as much for friendship, family and for someone who has died. The symbol itself comes from mathematics rather than romance, which is why it carries less obligation than a heart.

No, and that's its advantage over a heart. Infinity works between friends, between mother and daughter, and as a memorial piece. If you want to give something meaningful without implying romance, this is the shape that does it.

Several styles here thread a name through the loop or set one alongside it — two names crossing at the centre is the version couples buy. It's also the neatest way to fit two names on one pendant without the piece getting wide.

16 or 18 inches. Infinity pendants are wider than they are tall, so they need room to sit flat — at 14 the loop crowds the throat. 18 lets it lie properly below the collarbone.

Keep the second pendant narrow. Infinity is one of the wider small pendants, so pairing it with another horizontal shape at a similar length looks cluttered. A plain chain or a single letter below works better.

The loop has a continuous edge and no flat face, so it takes contact evenly rather than wearing in one spot. At 3.0 microns of gold over solid sterling silver — against an industry standard of 0.2 — that lasts years. Perfume and chlorine shorten it faster than wear does.