Box Chain Silver Stainless Steel (2mm & 3mm)

Box Chain Silver Stainless Steel (2mm & 3mm) as a Base for a Pendant

The box link is made of square blocks that close tightly into one another. That gives you two things other fine chains lack: it is strong for its width and it barely twists, so a pendant keeps facing forward instead of turning away. The base is stainless steel, polished to a silver tone: there is no layer on it, because the steel itself already has that colour.

Product details

• Material: stainless steel, polished silver-tone

• Widths: 2mm and 3mm

• Lengths: 45, 50 and 55 cm

• Clasp: lobster clasp

• Delivered in a Carpe Ice jewellery box

Why a Box Link Does Not Twist

On a round or woven link the chain turns with your movements, and then a pendant hangs crooked or backwards within half an hour. The square box link has four flat sides and therefore does not roll. That is why jewellers recommend a box chain as soon as something hangs from it. On top of that, the closed construction is stronger than an open link of the same thickness, which at 2mm is the difference between a chain you dare to wear and one you save.

Bare Steel on a Fine Chain

The narrower the chain, the sooner damage shows: there is simply less surface to hide it. That is exactly why this is polished steel with no layer. Nothing can wear off, because there is nothing on top: a scratch exposes the same silver-tone steel you see on the outside, so wear leaves no lighter patch. On a fine gold-tone chain that is exactly the risk, because there a gold layer sits over the same steel.

2mm or 3mm

The 2mm is the classic pendant chain: it does not draw attention and lets the pendant do the work. The 3mm is heavier and can also be worn alone without looking thin. If you wear a larger pendant, choose the 3mm, because a heavy pendant on too fine a chain pulls the line out of shape and loads the clasp.

Work Your Length Back From the Pendant

On this chain the pendant decides the length, not your neck. A pendant adds its own height to the lowest point of the chain: a 4 cm pendant on a 50 cm chain finishes where a bare 58 cm chain would end. So decide first where you want to see the piece and count back from there. Worn without a pendant, 50 cm is the length that suits most necks, 45 is the choice if you want it high and visible above a collar, and 55 cm falls free on the chest.

Care

You do not need to take it off to wash your hands, walk through rain or shower: there is no layer on it that can wear through. Do take it off before the swimming pool, because chlorine is harsher than shower water. The gold-tone version of this chain does have a layer over the steel, and that one comes off before pool, shower and sport; that is the whole difference between the two. Rinse it under the tap after seawater or chlorine. You will never need silver polish, because no tarnish forms of the kind you get on real silver. To freshen it up, use lukewarm water, mild soap and a soft toothbrush: on a box link dirt sits in the seams between the blocks and that is what dulls the shine.

Styling

Silver-tone steel matches almost any steel watch and most other jewellery. If you layer with a second chain, leave at least 10 cm difference in length and choose a clearly broader link type beside it, so the box stays the fine layer rather than competing with the other.