Sterling Silver Italian Round Omega Chain 1.50mm

An omega is not a linked chain at all. It is a run of closely-set metal segments mounted on a flexible internal band, so the piece holds a curve rather than hanging slack. A round omega carries that construction in a tubular profile.

Because it holds its own shape, an omega sits on the collarbone as a formed collar rather than draping. It is worn as the piece itself far more often than as a pendant carrier.

This is a middleweight gauge within the style — the usual compromise between presence and everyday wearability.

Lengths run from 42 to 50 cm. 42 cm sits just above the collarbone; 45 cm sits on the collarbone and is the most common pendant length; 50 cm sits just below the collarbone and clears a crew neckline.

Specification

• Metal: sterling silver (925)
• Style: Round omega chain
• Lengths available: 42cm, 45cm, 50cm
• Finish: Polished
• Supplier reference: OM150
• Sold as: Single piece

Sterling silver is 925 parts per thousand fine silver, the balance copper. The copper is what makes it workable — fine silver on its own is too soft to hold a form — and it is also why sterling tarnishes: the copper reacts with sulphur in the air. Tarnish is a surface film, not corrosion. It polishes off with a silver cloth and the metal beneath is unchanged.

Servicing. An omega cannot be shortened, resized or repaired like a chain — the internal band runs its full length. Store it flat, never folded, and never force a kink out by hand. Store silver closed — a box or a zip bag — when it is not being worn. Tarnish is driven by air rather than by wear, so the pieces that sit in the open are the ones that darken first.