Dainty Bracelets

A dainty bracelet is the one you put on and don't take off, which is exactly the one that needs to be made of something that can cope. Ours are 2mm to 4mm chains in 316L stainless steel, silver or 18k gold plated, and the steel is the whole point at this width. A fine plated alloy bracelet stretches, snaps at the clasp, and goes dull in a few months. A fine steel one doesn't do any of those things.

You'll find cable, box, belcher, paperclip and fine Cuban in this collection. Cable is the softest and moves the most. Box holds its shape and doesn't kink. Paperclip has the long flat links that people ask about. They're all light enough to wear two or three together, and most people who buy one end up doing exactly that.

Lengths run in 2cm steps. Measure your wrist snug, just below the bone, and add a centimetre or so; dainty chains look better close to the wrist than loose. Choose the 4cm extender and it's fitted before it leaves us. If you're stacking, keep them within a size of each other so they sit together rather than one riding up your arm.

2mm or 3mm?

2mm is the finest we cut and reads as a line on the wrist; it is the one to stack and the one to wear beside a watch. 3mm reads as a chain rather than a line, and takes a small charm. If you are buying one, 3mm. If you are buying three, mix them.

What size do I need?

Tape round the wrist just below the bone, snug, and add 1.5cm. Sizes are 16, 18, 20 and 22cm. A fine chain shows a gap more than a wide one, so if you are between sizes, take the smaller and add the optional 4cm extender rather than going up.

How do I stack dainty bracelets?

Three chains in three different links, all one metal: a cable, a Figaro, a box or a satellite. Same colour, different pattern, and they read as a set without matching. Put the one with a charm nearest the hand.

Will it break?

Not in normal wear. A fine steel chain is stronger than a fine plated one because the jump rings are steel and do not pull open. It will still break if it is yanked hard; take it off for anything that involves a small child grabbing your wrist.

Will it tarnish or turn my wrist green?

No. Solid 316L stainless steel on the silver; 18k gold over it on the gold Cuban. A fine plated chain wears through in weeks because there is so little metal; there is nothing here to wear through.

Can I wear it in the shower?

Yes. Dry it after; a wet fine chain under a cuff is annoying rather than harmful.

What comes in the box?

A black velvet pouch. Where a gift box is offered, you'll see it as an option on the product page, and a 2mm silver chain is the safest bracelet gift there is.