Category: Sterling Silver Chains

Sterling silver chains South Africa

Part of the sterling silver jewellery collection at Aria Jewellery Palace. Solid 925 sterling silver chains and necklaces, made and finished in Cape Town and delivered insured across South Africa, from R75 to R14,995.

There are 42 pieces here and every one is solid silver. That word matters more on a chain than on anything else you own, because a chain rubs against your neck and your collar all day. Plating wears through at the clasp and the back of the neck first, and once it does the base metal underneath shows and cannot be restored. Solid 925 tarnishes instead, and tarnish comes off in two minutes.

Silver is also where most people buy their first proper chain, their first name necklace and most of the chains they give as gifts. It gives you a real precious metal for a tenth of the gold price, which is why this collection covers everything from a R75 cord choker to a R13,520 curb chain.

If gold is where you are heading, the gold chains collection holds 58 pieces, and the full chains and necklaces collection holds 75 across both metals.

Silver chain prices by style

Silver is sold by weight, so width and length drive the price far more than the style does. A 10mm curb chain carries roughly ten times the silver of a fine paper clip chain, which is the whole reason this range is so wide.

Chain	How it wears	From
Horoscope Cord Choker	A silver detail on a fine cord. The lightest way in	R75
Silver Paper Clip Chain	Long elongated links. The most current style and the easiest to layer	R895
Small Silver Belcher Chain	Round open links. The classic shape, and a reliable pendant chain	R1,995
5 Heart Link Chain	Hearts worked into the links themselves	R1,995
Sterling Silver Omega Chain	A smooth flexible mesh that holds its shape. Built for a slide pendant	R2,595
Silver Gucci Link Chain, 5.3mm	A flat mariner link with a sharp modern edge. Unisex	R2,595
Mens 7mm Silver Figaro Chain	Two short links then one long. The most requested men’s style	R2,995
Sterling Silver Popcorn Chain	A soft textured tube that catches light along its length	R2,995
Sterling Silver Double Link Chain	Paired links for extra presence at a moderate weight	R3,550
Ball and Link Chain, 46cm	Alternating balls and links. A designer piece rather than a plain chain	R3,995
Silver Rosetta Style Chain	A rounded rope style with real body	R4,395
Sterling Silver Rolo Chain	Even round links, neat and strong enough for daily wear	R4,485
Silver Tennis Necklace	A continuous line of stones. An occasion piece	R6,595
10mm Silver Curb Chain, 55cm	Flattened interlocking links with serious weight	R6,895
Sterling Silver Large Knotty Chain	Heavy woven links. The weight of a gold chain at silver prices	R7,900
Hollow Silver Double Round Curb Chain	The widest chain here, hollow so the weight stays wearable	R13,520

Personalised silver chains

This is the largest single group in the collection, and it is the reason most people find this page. Name chains are cut to your wording in the workshop, which is why they are made to order rather than held in stock.

Necklace	What it is	From
Multiname Personalised Name Chain	More than one name on a single chain	R950
Classic Personalised Name Necklace	The original script name chain, and our best seller	R995
Personalised Stacked Ring Necklace	Stacked rings engraved with names or dates	R1,095
Infinity Name Necklace	A name worked into an infinity symbol	R1,450
Personalised Multi Initial Necklace	Several initials on one chain, one per person	R1,450
Personalised Engravable Disc Necklace	A plain disc engraved with your wording	R1,550
Personalised Tree of Life Chain	Names or birthstones set into a tree	R1,850
Personalised Joined Hearts Necklace	Two hearts joined, engraved	R1,850
Mama Chain in Block Letters	Block letters, the most ordered Mothers Day piece	R1,850
Bold Personalised Name Chain	A heavier cut letter that reads from further away	R1,995
Personalised Family Tree Necklace	A tree carrying the whole family	R2,395
Personalised Layered Disc and Bar	Arrives already layered, so the lengths sit correctly	R2,395
Personalised Double Bar Necklace	Two engraved bars on one chain	R2,595
Sterling Silver Heart Personalised Necklace	A double heart carrying two names	R2,995

Most personalised pieces are offered in sterling silver, gold plated sterling silver and solid gold, so check the metal selector before you compare prices. The full range sits in personalised necklaces with 32 designs, and the wider personalised jewellery range covers bracelets and rings.

Because every piece is cut to your wording, order earlier than you would a stock chain, particularly before a birthday, Mothers Day or a christening.

Silver necklaces with meaning

Not every chain here is plain. Several carry something specific, and these are the pieces people keep for decades.

Necklace	What it is	Price
Horizontal Cross Necklace	A cross set sideways along the chain	R895
Silver Baby Feet Necklace	The standard new baby gift in this country	R895
Silver Sideways Cross Necklace	A finer version of the same idea	R995
Queen of Africa Necklace	Inspired by the protea, our national flower. Made here rather than imported	R1,750
Mama Bar Necklace	A bar with a heart, for mothers	R1,795
St Christopher Necklace	The traveller’s medal, given before a journey or a move	R1,850
Engraved Curved Bar Necklace	A curved bar sized for a name or a date	R1,995
Large Curved Cross on Chain	A substantial cross for a confirmation or a milestone	R2,195
Personalised Dog Tag Necklace	Engraved, and the piece men wear most	R1,995

What 925 sterling silver actually is

Sterling silver is 92.5 percent pure silver alloyed with a small amount of other metal for strength. Pure silver is too soft to hold a link shape, which is why nobody makes chains from it. The 925 stamp, usually on the clasp or the tag beside it, is your proof that you have the real alloy.

Solid and hollow silver chains

A solid chain is silver all the way through. A hollow one has a thin silver wall around an empty core, which is how a very wide chain stays wearable and affordable. The 13mm double round curb chain in this collection is hollow for exactly that reason, and in solid silver at the same width it would be uncomfortably heavy.

Hollow is a legitimate choice, not a trick. What you need to know is that a hollow link dents and kinks if it is caught, and once it splits it is difficult to repair invisibly. A solid link can be opened, soldered and re-polished. If you want the widest possible chain, buy hollow. If you want a chain your children will wear, buy solid and buy narrower.

Silver chain styles explained

Chain names describe the shape of the link, and once you know the shapes the choosing gets much easier.

Curb chains have flattened interlocking links that lie flat against the skin. They are the strongest everyday chain and the usual men’s choice, and cut thicker and tighter they become a cuban chain. Figaro chains alternate two or three short links with one long one, which gives movement without much added weight.

Belcher chains use uniform round links and are the traditional South African chain shape, and the safest choice for a heavy pendant. Rolo chains use smaller round links of equal size, neat enough for daily wear. Gucci link, also called a mariner, is a flat oval link with a bar across it.

Paper clip chains use long elongated links, layer better than anything else here, and are the style people ask for most right now. Omega chains sit on a flexible mesh backing rather than individual links, hold their shape around the neck, and suit a pendant with a slide bail. Popcorn and rosetta chains are textured tubes rather than open links, so they read as soft rather than sharp.

Snake chains, also called herringbone, use tightly fitted plates that form one smooth flat surface. Store them flat rather than folded, because a sharp kink in a herringbone is difficult to reverse. Knotty and double link chains are woven or paired for weight, and ball and link chains alternate the two shapes.

Getting the length right

Length is the most common reason a chain sits unworn. Hold a piece of string where you want the chain to sit, then measure it against a ruler in centimetres.

Length	Where it sits	Who it suits
40cm	High on the neck, close to a choker	Layering, and open necklines
45cm	Just below the collarbone	The standard women’s length, and the best length for a pendant
50cm	Top of the chest	A longer, more relaxed look
55cm	Base of the neck	The standard men’s length
60cm and over	On the chest	A broader frame, or a chain worn over a jumper

If you are buying a gift and cannot measure, 45cm suits most women and 55cm most men. Most solid chains can be shortened or lengthened before they ship, so say what you need when you order.

Choosing a width

Width	Feel	Wears well with
1mm to 2mm	Fine and delicate	A small pendant, or layered under wider chains
2mm to 4mm	Clearly visible and comfortable all day	Worn alone, or carrying most pendants
5mm to 7mm	Bold with real weight	The usual men’s range
Above 7mm	A statement piece	Worn on its own, with a strong clasp to match

Match the chain to the pendant rather than the other way around. A heavy pendant on a 1mm chain wears through the bail over a few years and eventually breaks.

Choosing a chain for a pendant

Three things decide whether the pairing works. The bail has to be wide enough for the link to pass through, which is the most common reason a gift goes back. The chain has to carry the weight, so anything above about 15mm of pendant wants 1.5mm of chain or more. And the metals should match, so 925 with 925 rather than silver with plated.

Browse sterling silver pendants for the matching piece, or the full pendants collection across both metals.

Silver chains compared with gold

	Sterling silver	9ct gold
Hallmark	925	375
Tarnish	Darkens over time, cleans off in minutes	Does not tarnish
Hardness	Softer, links wear faster on fine chains	Harder, holds up longer at the same width
Resale value	Low	Holds a metal value floor
Entry price	R75	R5,595
Best for	Everyday wear, layering, name chains and gifts	One chain kept for decades

Neither is better. Silver lets you own four chains for the price of one gold one, and it suits the way most people actually wear them. If you want the piece to hold value and outlast you, the gold chains collection starts at R5,595.

Why silver tarnishes and how to stop it

Silver reacts with sulphur in the air, and the reaction speeds up with humidity, sweat, perfume and sea air. Coastal buyers in Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha see it faster than inland buyers, and a chain worn against the skin all day tarnishes faster than one kept in a box.

None of that is damage. Tarnish sits on the surface and lifts with a polishing cloth in minutes, or a silver dip for the inside of links where a cloth cannot reach.

Three habits prevent most of it. Put the chain on last, after perfume, sunscreen and hairspray. Take it off before you swim, in the pool and in the sea. And store it fastened in a closed pouch rather than open on a dressing table, because airflow is what feeds the reaction.

Never use toothpaste or bicarbonate. Both scratch, and on a gold plated silver chain they take the plating off entirely.

Layering silver chains

Layering works when you vary something. Vary the length first, leaving about 5cm between chains so each one is visible. Vary the width next, with one fine chain against one wider one. Then vary the texture, for example a smooth omega against a paper clip.

Silver is the easiest metal to do this with, because three chains cost less than one gold one. If you want the effect without the effort, the Personalised Layered Disc and Bar Necklace at R2,395 arrives already spaced so nothing tangles.

Silver chains as gifts

A chain is the safest fine jewellery gift there is, because it does not depend on a ring size and it can carry a pendant added later.

For a new baby, the Baby Feet Necklace at R895 is the standard. For a confirmation, a plain cross in a size that will still suit an adult. For a mother, the Mama Chain or a name necklace with the children’s names. For someone leaving or travelling, the St Christopher.

If you want the gift to be personal rather than pretty, a name necklace from R950 does more work than a plain chain at twice the price. Match the metal to what they already wear, because a silver chain on someone who only wears gold sits in a drawer.

Explore the collection

Product counts are live.

Category	What is in it	Pieces
Sterling silver jewellery	The full 925 range, every type in one place	166
Chains and necklaces	Silver, gold and rose gold chains together	75
Gold chains	Solid 9ct and 18ct chains from R5,595	58
Sterling silver chains	925 chains and necklaces, this collection	42
Sterling silver rings	Bands, stacking rings and stone set pieces from R245	39
Sterling silver bracelets	Figaro, curb, ID and charm bracelets	33
Personalised necklaces	Name chains and engraved pendants, made to order	32
Sterling silver earrings	Studs, hoops, drops and ear cuffs from R150	28
Mens chains	Heavier curb and figaro chains, and dog tags	21
Sterling silver pendants	Crosses, hearts, initials and charms	16

Caring for a silver chain

Do this	Why it matters	How often
Wipe it with a silver polishing cloth	Lifts surface tarnish before it settles into the links	Monthly, or when it dulls
Use a silver dip for heavy tarnish, then rinse and dry	A cloth cannot reach the inside of links, a dip can	As needed
Put it on last and take it off before swimming	Perfume, sunscreen, chlorine and salt all accelerate tarnish	Every time
Store it fastened, flat and in a closed pouch	Fastening prevents tangles and a closed pouch slows tarnish	Daily
Have the clasp checked	A worn clasp spring is the most common way a chain is lost	Every year or two

Delivery

Free insured delivery anywhere in South Africa, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha and Bloemfontein, tracked from our Table View workshop to your door. You are welcome to collect in person. Personalised chains are cut to your wording, so allow extra time on those.

Questions

Keep looking

More silver. Sterling silver jewellery, sterling silver rings, sterling silver bracelets, sterling silver bangles, sterling silver earrings and sterling silver pendants.

More chains. Chains and necklaces, sterling silver chains and necklaces, gold chains and rose gold chains and necklaces.

Personalised. Personalised jewellery, personalised necklaces and personalised bracelets.

For him. Mens chains, mens bracelets and all mens jewellery.

More gold. Gold jewellery and gold pendants.

Or start from the Aria Jewellery Palace homepage.