Jewellery chain

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Gold body chain for a slight woman or a girl. Frontal view with an amethyst and four garnets; four other gems are missing (4th or 5th century Romano British, part of the Hoxne hoard) Gold body chain hoxne treasure reflections.JPG
Gold body chain for a slight woman or a girl. Frontal view with an amethyst and four garnets; four other gems are missing (4th or 5th century Romano British, part of the Hoxne hoard)
Byzantine body chain found as part of the Asyut Treasure, Egypt c. 600 AD (British Museum) Byzantine Jewellery (2).JPG
Byzantine body chain found as part of the Asyut Treasure, Egypt c. 600 AD (British Museum)

Jewellery chains, jewelery chains or body chains are metal chains are used in jewellery to encircle parts of the body, namely the neck, wrists and ankles, and they also serve as points to hang decorative charms and pendants.

Contents

Material

Jewellery chains are typically made from precious metals, mainly gold and silver. Platinum, palladium and steel may also be used. These metals are used because they are not very reactive, keep both their intricate shape and their strength, and require only minimal maintenance to keep their shine. Small lever mechanisms called clasps serve as fastenings to enable the chain to be undone and redone.

Gold chain from sixteenth century, Sweden. Guldkedja fran 1500-talets slut - Livrustkammaren - 98877.tif
Gold chain from sixteenth century, Sweden.

Styles

See also

Related Research Articles

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References