Paperclip Necklace

A chain made of elongated oval links, flat rather than round, shaped like the wire of a paperclip. The long links are what make it work — it sits flat against the skin instead of twisting, and the openings are wide enough to clip charms straight on.

They arrived around 2019 and settled into being a staple rather than a trend, which is unusual for a chain style. The reason is practical: it's the easiest chain to add charms to, so people keep buying it as a base rather than a finished piece.

That's its main advantage. The links are large enough to clip a charm onto without removing the clasp, and wide enough to keep several charms spaced apart rather than clustering at the lowest point. Fine cable chains can't do either.

Far less than a fine chain, because the links are too long to knot easily. Layering two paperclip chains at similar lengths does cause them to interlock — the open links catch each other. Pair one with a rounder chain instead of another paperclip.

18 inches is the versatile default. The elongated links read as a heavier chain than they weigh, so it holds up well at 20 where a fine chain would look sparse. 16 works as the shorter layer under a longer pendant.

Yes, and more visibly than most chains — removing one link changes the length by roughly a centimetre because the links are long. A jeweller can take out links or fit an extender. Ask for the clasp end so the spacing stays even.