Sterling silver, silver plated, oxidized silver plated, and 18K gold plated necklace chains are available in different styles and lengths, making it easy to personalize your favorite charm or pendant. Choose from classic rolo chains, delicate beaded satellite chains, sterling silver curb chains, or smooth sterling silver snake chains.
Necklace Chain Options
- Silver Plated Rolo Chain: 16 inches + 3-inch extender
- Silver Plated Beaded Satellite Chain: 16 inches + 3-inch extender
- Oxidized Silver Plated Rolo Chain: 16 inches + 3-inch extender
- Oxidized Silver Plated Beaded Satellite Chain: 16 inches + 3-inch extender
- 18K Gold Plated Rolo Chain: 16 inches + 3-inch extender
- 18K Gold Plated Beaded Satellite Chain: 16 inches + 3-inch extender
- Sterling Silver Curb Chain: 16 inches + 2-inch extender
- Sterling Silver Beaded Chain: 16 inches + 2-inch extender
- Sterling Silver Snake Chain: 18 inches
Select the chain style, finish, and length that best complements your pendant. Clasps may vary between lobster clasp and spring ring clasp depending on availability.
design: A collection of nine necklace chain styles — from a fine rolo chain and delicate beaded satellite chain to a flat snake chain and open curb chain — offered in sterling silver, silver plated, oxidized silver plated, and 18K gold plated finishes so you can match a chain to any pendant.
size: Rolo and beaded satellite chains (silver plated, oxidized silver plated, 18K gold plated): 16 inches plus a 3-inch extender. Sterling silver curb chain and sterling silver beaded chain: 16 inches plus a 2-inch extender. Sterling silver snake chain: 18 inches, fixed length.
material: Sterling silver, silver plated brass, oxidized silver plated brass, and 18K gold plated brass, depending on the style selected.
features: Nine chain styles to choose from, four finish options, adjustable extender on most lengths for a customized fit, lobster or spring ring clasp
care: Store flat or hanging to prevent tangling, keep away from water, lotions, and perfume, and polish sterling silver pieces with a soft polishing cloth to maintain shine.
disclaimer: Clasp style may vary between a lobster clasp and a spring ring clasp depending on availability.
The Story
A chain is one of the oldest and most universal forms in metalwork, built from a single repeated unit — a link, drawn or cut, closed and joined to the next. The styles offered here trace that lineage: the rolo chain's round, uniform links; the curb chain's flattened, interlocking twist; the snake chain's tightly coiled bands that lie smooth and flat against the skin; and the satellite chain's small round beads set at intervals along a fine cable.
These are foundational jewelry forms rather than pieces tied to a single region or culture, which is exactly what makes them useful: a rolo or curb chain has been made and worn across many metalworking traditions for centuries, prized for the same qualities each time — durability, flexibility, and a clean line that lets a pendant or charm do the talking.
Offering the chain separately from the charm also reflects a common practice in silversmithing: a chain is a component built to be paired, re-paired, and worn long after the piece it first carried has changed.
Chain-making starts with wire, drawn down to a consistent gauge and wound around a mandrel to form a coil, which is then cut into individual rings. Each style shown here comes from how those rings are shaped and joined: rolo and belcher links are rounded and soldered shut one by one; curb links are twisted flat so they lie interlocked; snake chain is formed from stamped bands crimped together into a continuous coil; satellite chain sets a small bead at intervals along a fine cable link. After assembly, plated versions are finished with a layer of silver or 18K gold over a base metal, and oxidized pieces are darkened in a chemical bath to bring out contrast in the link detail before a clasp and jump ring are attached to complete the chain.
Craft & Materials
- Ideal For: Anyone who wants to personalize a favorite pendant or charm, or replace a worn chain, in a finish and length that suits their style
- Wear It With: Pair with a single pendant for a classic look, or use the finer chains to layer several charms at different lengths
- Purpose: Pendant chain, charm chain, layering, everyday wear, gift for personalizing a piece already owned
- Metal: Sterling silver, silver plated, oxidized silver plated, 18K gold plated
Questions & Answers
Will this chain fit my pendant or charm?
Most pendants and charms with a standard bail or jump ring will fit these chains; check your pendant's bail opening against the chain's link width if you're unsure.
What's the difference between the rolo, curb, satellite, and snake chain styles?
Rolo chain has small, round, uniform links; curb chain has flattened, interlocking links for a slightly bolder look; satellite chain is a fine cable with small beads set at intervals; snake chain is made of tightly coiled bands that lie smooth and flat against the skin.
Can I adjust the length?
Most styles include a 2- or 3-inch extender chain, so you can wear it at the full length or shorten it using the extender's jump rings. The sterling silver snake chain is a fixed 18-inch length with no extender.
Will the plated chains tarnish or wear off?
Silver plated, oxidized silver plated, and 18K gold plated chains are plated over a base metal, so the finish can wear thinner over years of wear or with exposure to moisture and lotions; sterling silver chains may tarnish over time but can be polished back to shine.
What kind of clasp does the chain have?
Chains close with either a lobster clasp or a spring ring clasp depending on style and availability, both of which are easy to open and close one-handed with a little practice.
