Category: Necklaces

I put on a plain shirt and jeans one morning, nothing special, and the only reason I didn't look half asleep was a thin gold chain sitting just above the collar. No pendant, nothing fussy, just a line of metal catching the light when I turned my head. That was the moment I understood a necklace isn't an accessory you add on top, it's the thing that decides whether an outfit looks finished or just worn.
A good necklace works with whatever you already reach for, which is most of the point of owning one. A fine chain sits close to a round neckline and disappears happily under a jumper, so you can wear it every day without thinking. A pendant with a bit of weight to it wants a V neck or an open shirt, somewhere it can actually hang rather than get lost in fabric. Layering a few chains of different lengths together turns a plain top into something that looks like you made an effort, even on days you absolutely did not, though it only works if the chains are different enough in width or finish that they read as separate pieces rather than one tangled mess. Silver goes with almost anything cool toned, gold warms up black and camel and cream, and if you wear both metals you'll find yourself reaching for whichever matches your watch or your earrings that day, which is a perfectly good system.
What separates a necklace you'll wear for years from one that goes green after a fortnight usually comes down to the metal itself. Sterling silver and solid gold, or a decent gold vermeil with a thick plating over silver, will survive daily wear, a shower you forgot to take it off for, and a bit of perfume without losing their colour. Cheaper plated base metal looks identical in the box and then fades at the clasp within weeks, especially anywhere it touches skin a lot, like the back of your neck in summer. Check the clasp itself, a lobster clasp that springs shut firmly is worth more than any amount of shine on the chain, because a necklace you can't do up one handed ends up living in a drawer. A birthstone or a name piece lives or dies on how neatly the setting is finished, nothing wobbling, no rough edges catching on jumpers.
Necklaces suit practically every season since they sit under coats in winter and show properly in summer necklines, though delicate chains come into their own from spring through autumn when you're baring more skin, and something with a bit more presence earns its place for evenings out or occasions that call for more than jeans.
This suits anyone who wants one small, reliable way to make a plain outfit look deliberate.
Picked by Ellie Marsh. More in Jewellery.