Jewelry Findings: Choosing Chains | Rolo Chain, Cable Chain, Ball Chain, Long and Short Chain

The two most common chain styles right now are the ball chain pictured to the right, and cable chain.  Ball chain are much more casual, and the popularity goes hand in hand with the current fashion of making precious metal dog tag necklaces.

Cable chains come in many varieties and are versatile, lending them to be used for numerous jewelry making applications.

Chains are available in just about every metal precious and non precious.  However, for jewelry purposes, the most common chains are sterling silver and sterling silver plated.  Sterling silver chains are solid sterling silver, while sterling silver plate is a fine veneer of silver over another metal, usually copper or base metal like steel.

Sterling is still popular even with the price increase in precious metals because many people are allergic to base metals, and specifically nickel alloys.  Sterling silver plate will wear off over time, so if you buy it and are allergic to nickel, make sure the jewelry says that it is nickel free.

Cable chains are made by creating flat loops of metal and attaching them to one another, then soldering them together.  Loops can be circular, oval, or sometimes square or triangular.    There are variations of the cable chain, the long and short, featuring one long, then one short link, and the rolo chain in which the loops are not flat, they are wide cylinders.

There are also other chain styles that are less popular with handmade jewelry artists including the Venetian box style, snake chain, and the omega chain.

Both the snake and the omega style chain (which is really a flattened snake) are easily damaged and/or kinked.  Once they are damaged, they cannot be fixed which makes them difficult for artists who travel from show to show.  The longest lasting omega chains are the very wide flat chains.  To keep them in good condition, make sure to put them back in their box after wearing.

The Venetian box style was much more popular about 25 years ago, but is being used less and less in artistic jewelry designs.

Most artists prefer a more flexible, hardier chain which is why they tend to choose a version of the cable chain, or the ball chain.

Most metals can be darkened or antiqued with several different chemicals, the most common is sulphur.  We used to call this tarnish, but now the more polite term is patina.  Patinas are developed on precious metal chains on purpose to create a desired finish or look, and what they do best is bring out the texture in a chain.

Antiquing primarily is a stylistic choice of the jewelry designer, and does not impair or change the value of precious metal.  It is only on the surface and can be removed with high heat.