Short version: a herringbone is rows of short flat links set at opposite angles, so you get a V pattern across it like fish bones. It lies dead flat on your skin, moves like liquid, and shines like a mirror because it's one continuous surface. It's the chain everybody's asking for right now. It's also the chain most likely to come back to us kinked, because it's flat and thin and it folds like foil. Go in knowing that and it's one of the best looking chains there is.
How it's made
Flat slanted links in alternating rows, one row leaning left, next one right, pressed tight so there's no gap. Smooth and patterned on the front, a little ribbed on the back. Front to back it's maybe a millimeter. Side to side it's wide, 3 to 11mm on ours. That's why it drapes the way it does and why it has zero resistance to being bent the wrong way.
Flat, twist, braid
We carry three kinds and they don't behave the same.
- Flat is the classic. 3.3 up to 11.5mm. Lies flat, mirror finish, kinks the easiest of the three.
- Twist is a flat herringbone that's been spiraled. Sparkles more, tangles instead of kinking, and since it's already twisted a bend doesn't show like it does on flat. 3.4 and 3.9mm, two-tone and black.
- Braid is three or six thin herringbones woven together. 5mm three-braid, 9mm six-braid. Toughest by a mile, a kink in one strand hides behind the others. Most texture too.
Hard on jewelry, get the braid. Want the pure mirror look and you'll be careful, get the flat. Twist is in between.
Herringbone, serpentine, omega
- Serpentine is flat and thinner, S-links instead of chevrons, cheaper, kinks even easier.
- Herringbone is flat, wider, chevron pattern, a little more body.
- Omega is round and stiff. Holds a shape instead of draping.
Width and weight
- 3.3 to 4.3mm, 3 to 4 grams, $18 to $85. Thin ribbon. Daily, layered, what most women buy.
- 5.4 to 7.2mm, 6 to 9 grams, $36 to $187. A band you can see. Anyone. This is where it starts looking like a herringbone.
- 9 to 11.5mm, 35 to 48 grams, $196 to $302. A collar. Men mostly, over the shirt.
16 to 30 on most. 7 and 8 inch bracelet lengths on a lot of the flat and braid. Wears true to length.
Pendants
No. A bail sits sideways on a flat chain, the chain twists under it, and the twist turns into a kink. Herringbone is the piece. If you want to hang something, pick something else.
Finishes
Plain sterling on the flat and the braid. Two-tone gold, two-tone rose, and black on the twists. Plain polished silver is the flat herringbone look, a finish on top mostly gets in the way, so we only do colors on the twist where the spiral breaks it up.
How to not kink it
This is the whole care section because nothing else matters. Never fold it. Never put it in a pocket, a purse, a drawer with other stuff. Never sleep in it. Never let someone take it off you by pulling. Take it off, lay it flat or hang it, every time. A kinked herringbone almost never comes back. A jeweler can sometimes soften a light one. A hard crease is forever.
Do all that and it'll look new for years. The surface doesn't scratch easy and a cloth brings the shine right back.
Who it's for
Right now, everybody wants one, and in the 3 to 5 it's probably the chain women ask us about the most. The wide flat ones are a 90s thing that came back for men. It is not a chain for someone who takes jewelry off by yanking it over their head.
Questions we get
Why does it kink so easy?
It's flat and a millimeter thick. Anything that thin bends sharp when you fold it, and the links are locked so the bend can't spread out. It just holds the crease.
Can a kink be fixed?
A light bend, sometimes, by a jeweler. A crease, no. Braid is the one that survives this.
Can I sleep in it?
No. We know people do. Those are the people who email us about kinks.
Flat or braid?
Flat for the look, braid for the life. Not sure, braid.
Flat is in the herringbone collection, twist and braid are right next to it.