Sterling Silver Oval Belcher Necklace with 12mm Bolt Ring

An oval belcher runs the same closed-ring construction as a round belcher, but each link is drawn to an oval. The longer link means fewer of them cover the same distance, so the chain reads lighter and more linear than a round belcher at the same gauge.

The oval link lies flatter against the skin than a round one and tends to stay face-up rather than rolling, which keeps a pendant centred.

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

Lengths run from 45 to 55 cm. 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; 55 cm sits at the top of the sternum.

Finished as a necklace rather than supplied as a bare chain: it comes fitted with a 12mm bolt ring. A bolt ring of that size is easy to work one-handed, which is the practical difference between a clasp you use and one you avoid.

Specification

• Metal: sterling silver (925)
• Style: Oval belcher chain
• Lengths available: 45cm, 50cm, 55cm
• Clasp: 12mm bolt ring
• Finish: Polished
• Supplier reference: BO3BR12
• 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. Open links are straightforward to alter; the oval form should be re-trued after any join so the run stays even. 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.