Jewelry Chain Styles Guide
Get to know more about our jewelry chain styles by using this Jewelry Chain Styles Guide. Use this guide as a reference when you shop for a chain. It is divided into two main chain style categories, link style chains and solid style chains. Each of these categories are broken into sub-categories of common link and solid styles chains for which we added their common variations. The guide includes an image and brief description for each of the styles of jewelry chain.
Jewelry chains come in various styles and sizes. There is no industry agreed standard for naming or categorizing the many types of jewelry chains and chain styles. So we, at SylviaFindings, are offering this guide that attempts to describe the most common ones, as well as the ones we carry. Hopefully it will help you to make an informed decision when using or buying chains for your jewelry designs.
Remember that when it comes to chain names, there is no “agreed-to” naming rule!
At SilviaFindings, we have an extensive selection of chains styles that are sold in bulk, by the foot or meter, or finished styles chains, in lengths from 16 to 24 inches, that come with a spring clasp and jump ring.
Some chain styles are sturdier than others. The thickness of the links and how they are connected together is generally the basis for their overall strength.
We hope you find this reference guide useful.
Link Style Chains
Solid Style Chains
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Anchor Chain
The Anchor Chain is a classic link style chain that is very strong because of its design. The design was inspired by a chain used to attach an anchor to a boat. It has repeating oval links that are uniform in size that are arranged horizontally and vertically typically with a vertical bar in the middle of each link.
Variations
- Marine Chain: every other link is an anchor link
- Flat Anchor Chain: outer chain links have a flat surface
- Round Anchor Chain: outer surface is slightly round
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Ball/Bead Chain
The Ball/Bead Chain is a solid style chain that consists of balls of silver rather than links. These balls can be solid or hollow to reduce weight. They can be placed at regular intervals on the chain with links or strung adjacent to each other.
Bar Chain
The Bar Chain is a link style chain made of small bar shaped links connected by small jump rings. The bars can be any shape like curved, twisted, hollow, solid, elongated or a mix of shapes. This chain is visually attractive but is not as strong as other chains because the jump rings are smaller compared to the bars they are connected to.
Belcher/Rolo Chain
The Belcher/Rolo Chain a link style chain that consists of alternating oval or round links that are connected together. These links are small and thick and flat on the inside which gives the chain a sturdy appearance.
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Box Chain
The Box Chain is a link style chain that is simple and made up of square links that resembles a box. It is sturdy with a uniform appearance.
Variations
- Square Link Chain: made from round wire which is rolled flat and then folded into square links that form open boxes or cubes
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Cable Chain
The Cable Chain is the most common link style chain that consists of individual oval or round links interlocked in a uniform pattern, with each link lying at ninety degrees to the next.
Variations
- Double Link Cable Chain: has a repeating pattern of interconnected round or oval links that are doubled
- Figure-8 Chain: alternating links that are twisted or curbed into a figure-8
Cardano Chain
The Cardano Chain is a very stylish link style chain that is simple but with a stunning accent. It consists of unified series of rectangular decorative links.
Curb Chain
The Curb Chain is a link style chain variation of the cable chain with uniformly sized round or oval links that have been twisted and often diamond cut so that they lie flat along a surface.
Variations
- Twisted Curb Chain: has twisted or curled links
- Parallel Chain: two links side by side are used in each link position
Fancy Chain
The Fancy Chain a link style chain that has different variations such as specific shapes links, special finish, attached dangles. Decorative features might be hearts, stars, flowers, etc.
Variations
- Byzantine Chain: has pairs of oval or round links joined together and alternating horizontally and vertically where each link connects to four other links
- Franco Chain: created by placing two to four curb chains flat against each other and interweaving the V-shaped links
- Unique Chain: links can be any shaped links
- Pattern Chain: links have patterned links
- Tile Chain: miniature rectangular tile-like links that connect together
- Heart Chain: small heart shapes linked together
- Seed/Barley Corn Chain: has uniformly twisted round and oval links
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Figaro Chain
The Figaro Chain is a link style chain similar to the curb chain, in that it has flattened twisted links but it does not have one uniform link size or shape. Typically it will have between one and five shorter links alternating between a longer link, creating an attractive repeating pattern for the length of the chain.
Variations
- Long & Short Chain: links have different lengths
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Herringbone Chain
The Herringbone Chain is a solid style chain formed from multiple rows of V-shaped links that lay completely flat. The direction of the V-shaped links alternate with each row therefore creating a herringbone pattern. This chain has the greatest fluid effect the fact that strands of herringbone chains can be twisted together or laid out in different colored links to add a more interesting visual effect.
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Mesh Chain
The Mesh Chain is a solid style chain that has a fabric like quality with very fine wire used to weave the chain. There are a number of production methods including Milanese mesh chain and stocking mesh chain.
Variations
- Marine Chain: every other link is an anchor link
- Flat Anchor Chain: outer chain links have a flat surface
- Round Anchor Chain: outer surface is slightly round
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Omega Chain
The Omega Chain is a solid style chain popular for its strength and shiny look. It is made of individual metal plates aligned next to one another and crimped to an underlying mesh base. There are flat and rounded versions of this type of chain. It can also be reversible.
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Popcorn Chain
The Popcorn Chain is a solid style chain made of identical machine stamped segments of flat metal in much the same manner as snake chain. The metal segments are hollow and can be flat, rounded or concave.
Variations
- Flat Popcorn Chain: links are flattened
- Round Popcorn Chain: links are rounded
- Concave Popcorn Chain: links are concave
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Rolo/Belcher Chain
The Rolo/Belcher Chain a link style chain that consists of alternating oval or round links that are connected together. These links are small and thick and flat on the inside which gives the chain a sturdy appearance.
Variations
- Double Rolo Chain: doubled alternating oval or round links that are connected together
- Flat Rolo Chain: chain links have a flat surface
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Rope Chain
The Rope Chain is a link style chain that appears as two or more twisted strands of chain spiraled together. Rows of metal links are weaved together to look like a two stranded rope.
Variations
- Twisted Rope Chain: has twisted links
- French Rope Chain: has a spiraling effect in the finished braid
- Dragon Chain: has oval or round links used in pairs, with a vertical pair joined by a horizontal pair to a vertical pair
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Serpentine Chain
The Serpentine Chain is a link style chain composed of hammered ‘s’ shaped links that are laid next to each other with another identical set of links laid in parallel below the first and connected together.
Singapore Chain
The Singapore Chain is a link style chain that consists of a series of flat diamond cut chain links. Several of these links are interwoven to form a diamond shape, and then in turn these diamond shaped links are twisted and flattened to form a chain.
Snake Chain
The Snake Chain is a solid style chain that consists of round metal plates or bands with a slight curve at their mid point. They are joined together to form a continuous flexible tube reminiscent of a snake skin due to a slight zigzag effect.
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Wheat/Espiga Chain
The Wheat/Espiga Chain is a link style chain that has a symmetrical form of a rope chain. It has small figure-8 links that gives it an almost square profile. It made of four strands of oval and twisted oval links that are braided and woven together that make the chain eye-catching.
Variations
- Square Wheat Chain: has square links
