Short version: a serpentine is a flat, smooth chain made of tiny S-shaped links packed so tight the surface looks like one polished ribbon. It lies flat on your skin and moves like water. It's also the cheapest way to get that mirror look, our thin ones start under ten dollars. The thing to know is it kinks, and a kink doesn't come out. If you can live with that it's a really pretty chain.
How it's made
Each link is a small flat S. They hook into each other, overlapping, and the whole thing gets pressed flat. No gaps, no texture, smooth on the front, a little ribbed on the back. Front to back it's about a millimeter. That's why it sits so close to your skin and why it's so flexible side to side. And it's why it folds. There's nothing there to resist a bend.
Serpentine, herringbone, snake
These three are the smooth family, the ones where you can't see individual links.
- Serpentine is flat, S-links, usually thin. Cheapest of the three. A ribbon.
- Herringbone is also flat, but the links sit at an angle in a V pattern, so there's a faint chevron to it and a bit more weight. A wider ribbon.
- Snake is round. A smooth cord. Bends every way and doesn't crease as easy.
Flat and liquid for the least money, serpentine. Flat with a bit more to it, herringbone. Smooth but you're rough on stuff, snake.
Width and weight
- 1.2 to 1.6mm, 2 to 3 grams, $9 to $19. This is what most people mean by serpentine. Delicate. Alone, or with something tiny.
- 3.5mm two-tone, 8 grams. A visible band, silver and black stripe. Comes in 8 inch too, as a bracelet.
- 5.9mm, 44 grams. A heavy flat collar. Totally different thing. Worn alone, mostly by men.
Lengths 16 to 30 on the thin ones. It wears true to length since it lies flat, unlike an omega that stands off the neck.
Pendants
Not really. A bail won't slide clean over a flat chain, it sits crooked and the chain twists under it. The 1.2 and 1.6 will take a very light charm. Anything more than that, use a cable or a rope. With a serpentine the chain is the point.
Finishes
Plain sterling on the thin ones, two-tone on the 3.5. The flat face is the whole look, so polished silver is where it's best and that's what nearly everybody buys.
Taking care of it
This is the part that matters. Don't fold it. Don't throw it in a pocket or a bag loose. Don't sleep in it. Lay it flat or hang it. If it kinks it's a jeweler job and even then, sometimes no. Treat it like a ribbon because that's what it is.
Past that, nothing to it. Smooth surface, nothing to clean out, cloth brings the shine back.
Who it's for
Somebody who wants the liquid metal look and is careful with their stuff. Great first silver chain for the money, photographs well, and in the thin widths it's about as delicate as a silver chain gets. Just be straight with yourself about whether you'll take care of it.
Questions we get
Why did mine kink?
It got folded. Pocket, bag, something. It's flat and thin and it creases like foil. Store it flat and it won't happen again.
Can a kink be fixed?
A jeweler can sometimes soften it. There's usually a mark left. On a ten dollar chain, the real answer is replace it.
Is it real silver?
Ours is 925, stamped. A lot of cheap serpentines out there are plated brass, which is why they turn your neck green. Price is the tell. A real sterling serpentine is cheap, but it isn't three dollars.
Serpentine or herringbone?
Same look. Herringbone's a bit heavier and a bit tougher. If the extra money doesn't bother you, herringbone holds up better. If you just want the look, serpentine.
Everything's in the serpentine collection. We wrote one of these for omega too, the other smooth one people ask about.