Women's Chunky Silver Necklaces

If you've ever had a chunky silver necklace turn your neck green, this is the collection for you. Everything here is 5mm or more, made from 316L stainless steel, and it doesn't tarnish, doesn't fade and doesn't need looking after. Wear it every day, wear it in the shower, forget you've got it on.

You'll find chokers and longer necklaces mixed together here, so check which you're looking at before you pick a size. Chokers come in Small, Medium and Large by neck measurement, with the 4 inch extender fitted rather than loose. Necklaces are sold by length in centimetres, from 35cm to 90cm, which is more room than most stores give you, so grab a tape and measure where you'd like it to sit.

Cuban and curb if you want weight. Foxtail and Byzantine if you want the light to catch. Then there are our fancy links, which are most of what's here: knot links, coffee beans, chainmail, the constructions you won't find on the high street, because we go looking for them. Widths run up to 18mm, and the heaviest of them is a proper piece of metal.

Most people who buy one come back for a second in a different width to layer. Two chains look right if they're different widths, so if you already own a 5mm, look at an 8 or a 10.

Which width should I get?

5mm is chunky without being loud. It shows over a t-shirt, still layers with a finer chain, and takes a heavy pendant. 10mm is the width most people mean when they say chunky chain; it is the whole outfit at the neck and is worn alone. 12mm is the heaviest we make in most links, flat and dense, and is the one to buy if you want it to be seen from across a room. Above that, a few fancy links go to 15mm or 18mm, but those are wide rather than heavy.

What length do I need?

Chunky necklaces are sold at 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60cm. At 40cm a 10mm chain sits at the base of the throat like a choker. 45cm is the collarbone and the most popular length for a thick chain. 50cm sits just below it and suits a broader chest. 55 and 60cm drop onto the chest and are the lengths to pick if you want a pendant hanging from it. Every chain has an optional 4 inch extender, so 45cm with the extender covers 45 to 55cm.

Which link is right for me?

Cuban is flat and interlocking, sits smooth and is the classic heavy chain. Byzantine is a dense four-link weave with the most texture. Chainmail is a round woven link that moves like rope. Oval, hex and forge links are open and geometric and read more industrial. If you want one chain to wear every day, buy the 10mm Cuban. If you already have that, buy the Byzantine.

Will it tarnish or turn my skin green?

No. A plated chunky chain goes dull at the links first, where the plate wears through to the brass. There is no plate on these to wear through; the silver chains are solid 316L stainless steel all the way down, and steel does not oxidise or leave copper on the skin.

Can I wear it in the shower?

Yes. Shower, sea, gym, bed: a stainless chain stays on through all of it. Rinse it in fresh water after salt water and dry it with a cloth when you want the shine back.

Is it hypoallergenic?

For most wearers, yes. A 12mm chain puts a lot of metal on the skin, so the material matters more here than on a fine chain. That is the reason we do not make chunky chains in plated brass at all.

Which fastening do they use?

An oversized lobster clasp on a thick jump ring. A standard clasp is the first thing to fail on a heavy chain, so the 10mm and 12mm chains get a larger one that also happens to be easier to work one-handed. The optional extender hooks onto it.