You order a custom name necklace. It arrives, you love it, you wear it for nine days — and then the chain kinks just above the clasp, the pendant starts twisting sideways, and the whole piece never hangs straight again. Nothing was wrong with the nameplate. The chain was simply the wrong construction for the weight hanging on it.
The chain is usually the last line of a product description and the first thing that fails. Link shape decides three separate jobs: it carries the pendant's weight without stretching, it keeps the pendant facing forward instead of spinning, and it survives motion — twisting, snagging, being folded into a bag at the end of a long day. Get those three right and a name necklace quietly becomes the piece you never take off. Get them wrong and it lives in a drawer.
Here is what each link pattern actually does, and the measurements that decide whether it will work for your name.
The six link patterns you will see most
Cable. Uniform oval or round links, each set at a right angle to the next. It is strong for its weight, sits flat, and opens enough for a pendant bail to pass through easily. If a link ever pulls apart, a jeweller can close it in minutes. This is the all-purpose default.
Curb. Take the cable pattern and flatten every link, twisting each one so the chain lies flush against the skin. The links sit tightly together with almost no negative space, which makes curb unusually resistant to stretching. It reads as a solid band rather than a row of loops.
Box. Square links joined at right angles into a smooth four-sided line. The compact structure distributes load well and the flat surface slides through a bail without catching. Box chains kink less than rope, but a very fine one can still bend if pinched at a sharp angle.
Rope. Many small links arranged in a spiral, so the surface looks like twisted cord. It catches light from every angle and handles pulling load well. The trade-off is repair: a hollow rope chain crimps if it snags, and once the internal weave is crushed it is difficult to bring back.
Figaro. A curb variation with a repeating rhythm — three short links, then one elongated link. That 3:1 pattern is what makes it recognisable at a glance, and it gives the chain more character than a plain cable or curb. Sturdy in heavier widths, and best paired with a simple pendant that does not compete with the links.
Snake and herringbone. Snake is a tube of tightly fitted plates; herringbone is a flat ribbon of short parallel links. Both drape beautifully and show almost no visible links — and both kink permanently. Once bent past tolerance, the crease stays. Wear them alone or with a featherweight pendant, and always store them flat.
The comparison, in one place
| Pattern | Link shape | Sits | Kink risk | Pendant fit | Repair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable | Oval, alternating 90° | Flat | Low | Very good | Easy |
| Curb | Twisted, flattened | Flush | Low | Good (slightly larger bail) | Moderate |
| Box | Square, right-angle joints | Flat, angular | Low–medium | Very good, glides | Difficult |
| Rope | Spiral of small links | Rounded | Medium (hollow: high) | Good | Difficult |
| Figaro | 3 short + 1 long | Flat with rhythm | Low | Good, simple pendants | Moderate |
| Snake | Tight plate tube | Smooth tube | High once bent | Light pendants, sliding bails | Poor |
| Herringbone | Flat parallel links | Ribbon flat | High | Not recommended | Poor |
If you wear the piece daily and want to stop thinking about it, stay in the top half of that table: cable, curb, box, figaro.
The number that decides everything: chain width
Chain width — the diameter of the chain itself, quoted in millimetres — matters more than any other spec, and it is usually buried third in the description. The problem is that US listings quote inches while the factories that make the chain quote millimetres, so the two numbers never line up in your head. Here is the conversion for the widths that actually appear in custom jewelry:
| Width | In inches | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8 mm | 0.031 in | hair-fine accent, pendant only |
| 1.0 mm | 0.039 in | fine everyday wear |
| 1.2 mm | 0.047 in | fine but reassuring |
| 1.5 mm | 0.059 in | the standard for a nameplate |
| 2.0 mm | 0.079 in | substantial, longer names |
| 2.5 mm | 0.098 in | statement width, long names |
And the same conversion for length, because 45 cm and 18 inches are the same necklace described by two different people:
| Length | In centimetres | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|
| 14 in | 35.6 cm | base of the throat |
| 16 in | 40.6 cm | right on the collarbone |
| 18 in | 45.7 cm | just below the collarbone |
| 20 in | 50.8 cm | top of the chest |
| 22 in | 55.9 cm | mid-chest |
The arithmetic is fixed: one inch is exactly 25.4 mm, or 2.54 cm. So 16 inches is 16 × 2.54 = 40.64 cm, and a 2.0 mm chain is 2.0 ÷ 25.4 = 0.079 in. If a listing only gives you one unit, convert before you compare — a "45 cm" chain and an "18 inch" chain are the same product, and paying a premium for the one you think is longer is a common mistake.
The two-second bail test
The bail is the loop at the top of the pendant that the chain threads through. If its inner opening is not at least twice the chain's width, three things follow: the pendant sits at an angle instead of flat, it rubs against one single spot on the chain, and that spot wears thin before the rest of the chain shows any wear at all.
The rule is simple — bail inner opening should be at least 2× the chain width:
- 1.0 mm chain → 2 mm opening minimum
- 1.2 mm chain → 2.4 mm opening minimum
- 1.5 mm chain → 3 mm opening minimum
- 2.0 mm chain → 4 mm opening minimum
If your pendant's bail is smaller than the 2× figure, the fix is to step down a chain width, not up. A thinner chain glides, a thicker one saws.
Weight: match the chain to the pendant, not the other way round
A workshop rule of thumb worth carrying in your head: the chain should be able to bear roughly three times the weight of whatever hangs on it. That margin is what absorbs the pull of a seatbelt, a scarf, or a child grabbing at your neckline.
- Pendant under 3 g → 1.0–1.2 mm cable or box
- 3–5 g → 1.5 mm cable, curb, or box
- 5–10 g → 2.0 mm curb, box, or solid rope
- Over 10 g → 2.5 mm and up, or a two-point attachment so the load is shared
Weight scales with letter count at a fixed letter height, and it climbs faster than people expect — a seven-character name can weigh close to double a four-character one. That is worth remembering when a longer name suddenly feels "front-heavy" on a chain that worked fine for a short one: the chain did not change, the load did.
Before you order: a four-point check
- Find the width in millimetres and convert it to inches (divide by 25.4) so you can compare it against anything else you own.
- Measure the bail's inner opening and apply the 2× rule. If it fails, choose a thinner chain.
- Estimate the pendant's weight, then pick a width from the table above — and if you wear it daily, stay with cable, curb, box, or figaro.
- Choose the length by the neckline you wear most, then add one inch if you plan to layer it, since a second chain needs room to sit above the first.
Handling, briefly
Lay chains flat or hang them. Never drop a chain into a pouch with the pendant still attached, and never coil a snake or herringbone chain — those two failures account for most "the chain just broke" complaints, and most of them are a two-year-old kink plus one hard pull.
Where to go from here
A name necklace is two decisions, not one: the name, and the chain that carries it. Almost everyone spends their attention on the first and then accepts whatever chain happens to be in the photograph. Start at / , find the chain width on the design you like, and run the 2× bail check before you commit. If the numbers do not line up, change the chain rather than the name — you will wear the piece far longer. You can see how earlier pieces were put together in the archive at /blog , and if you are weighing two widths for a specific name length, send the name across at /contact and we will tell you which one holds better.