Chain (Necklaces)

A chain necklace carries no pendant, which makes the shape of the links the entire design. Cable links are simple ovals. Curb links are flattened and twisted so they lie flat against skin. Figaro alternates one long link with two or three short ones, and herringbone is a flat ribbon of tiny angled plates. Each weave throws light differently, which is why two chains of identical gram weight can look nothing alike.

Chains are made either solid or hollow, and the difference decides how long yours lasts. Hollow gold gives you a thicker look for roughly a third of the metal, then dents for good the first time you catch it in a car door. Solid links cost more per inch and survive being sat on. Ask whether every link is soldered closed too, because open links unhook under load and a failed chain almost always fails at an open link or at the clasp.

Against a pendant necklace, the chain here is the object rather than the carrier. That is why it usually runs two to four times heavier at the same length. Pearl strands knot each bead onto silk and need restringing every year or two, where metal links need nothing at all. Lariat styles leave both ends open, while a chain closes into a fixed loop at one set length.

Bold curb and Cuban weaves suit open collars and bare necks where nothing competes with them. Fine cable chains under 1 mm do the opposite job, disappearing under a shirt and waiting to carry a pendant later. Steer away from herringbone and snake weaves if you push your neck around all day, since one kink in those flat ribbons is permanent and cannot be pressed out.

Hold a chain by one end and watch it hang. A good one falls straight without twisting on itself. Weigh the clasp against the chain as well, because a tiny spring ring on a heavy chain is a lost necklace. Storage is simple: hang chains separately and fasten the clasp before you set one down, since a closed loop cannot knot itself.