I need a necklace that I can hang a ring from that looks nice and not trashy. Help me find it!

February 3, 2011 9:08 PM

Where can I find my SO a nice necklace chain to hang a ring from?

Long story short she has a ring that doesn't quite fit, and I thought her being able to wear it as a necklace would be fun until I am able to get it properly sized.

My question is, does anyone know where I can find a sort of thin necklace chain to hang a ring from? i don't much care what the color of the necklace is, but I don't really know what I am looking for and I don't want to buy some piece of crap that will give her an allergic reaction or anything like that. It doesn't have to be silver or gold, and I would like to spend less than $50.

I hate to use my question for something silly, but I could use some pointers on what to look for and where to look for it before V day.

posted by mister-m to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

$50 dollars and non-allergic? That's a tough call esp if she is allergic to nickel. Have a look if at this palladium necklace.
posted by Drama Penguin at 9:22 PM on February 3, 2011

I'd go to a jewelry store. I was looking for something specific style-wise, and a non-standard length and they were able to help me figure out what I wanted and ordered it for me for no extra charge. It was in pretty fast too. I'd try there, chances are, if they can't get something for you, they can point you in the direction of another source.
posted by gilsonal at 9:53 PM on February 3, 2011

A simple sterling silver chain shouldn't be very expensive, and it should be easy to find a chain for less than $50. Gold will likely be very expensive. For simple chains I would suggest just going down to a local department store and seeing what kind of chains they have available.

With gold plating/gold filled necklaces the gold will rub off, so I would stick to sterling silver. Sometimes you can find stainless steel as well, but I would worry about it damaging the ring by being significantly harder than whatever her ring is made of.

I also think this is a beautiful chain, but a little above your price range!
posted by that girl at 9:54 PM on February 3, 2011

Unless it's a very unusual ring it will probably cost you less than $50 to resize the ring, and take no more than a couple of days. Are you sure it wouldn't be easer to just go that route?
posted by raygan at 9:58 PM on February 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

I've bought several silver pieces from Silvershake, a seller I originally found via eBay. A quick look at silver chains shows that they have several styles in multiple lengths at extremely reasonable prices. Everything I've gotten from them has been really high quality, and you could probably have it shipped to arrive before Valentine's Day.
posted by Fuego at 10:12 PM on February 3, 2011

You might look at Fire Mountain Gems and Beads. It's an online store for people who like to make jewelry. They do sell finished chains (finished meaning it has the clasp, and so it is ready to wear). For example, you can get a 16-inch sterling silver chain for $5.95, or a gold-filled one for $10.76. Or for something totally different, you could get a ready-made silk macrame necklace that is designed to tie on a pendant (or in your case, the ring) on the two loose threads in the center for $7 - $9 dollars.

If the ring is too big, a different approach might be to ask a jeweler to put on a temporary resizer. I'm not sure what these are called, but they look like this. The metal eventually gets weak, but it lasts maybe a year if you don't fiddle with it too much. I did this with one ring, and at that time it I believe the jeweler charged me about $10 for the piece and labor (really, not much labor -- it just wraps around the ring band). When you want to take it off, they just clip it with scissors.
posted by Houstonian at 3:55 AM on February 4, 2011

I wanted something nice but inexpensive to wear my wedding ring on; we went to a jewelry store and I ended up liking an unusual gold chain that cost HELLA more than I thought it would, but the husband insisted on getting it for me anyhow, and now I love wearing the chain even on days when I wear the rings on my fingers. Platinum etc. are also nice and a bit cheaper.

You can also get a basic low-grade silver chain for about $20 - the kinds they'll sell you with a pendant at street fairs and in jewelry booths, I was perfectly happy wearing those as well for many years. That's probably what you're looking for, and you can get those at, well, any kiosk-type affair where they are selling pendants and other silver jewelry.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 6:59 AM on February 4, 2011

In your shopping, you might look for a material called vermeil. It is sterling silver coated with gold that is 10K or finer, and it is often very affordable. Because it is made of precious metals, it won't give her an allergic reaction or turn green around her neck. Here is some additional information about how vermeil is made and regulated.

(My experience is different from that girl's with regards to vermeil. I've never known the gold plating to rub or flake off, but I expect with everyday wear the color of the metal could turn from yellow to white over time, much like the rhodium plating wears off on white gold.)
posted by pineapple at 8:01 AM on February 4, 2011

i'm sure other people have different experiences ... but i've got pretty bad metal allergies (adding a belly ring to the mix made this a nightmare i hadn't expected). i react to nonplatinum/14k gold earrings severely and immediately, rings eventually - but not really much to necklaces. so you might not have to worry factor this in much.

you're probably fine with a silver chain and they're quite inexpensive. you could maybe get her a silly/fun chain and go with her to pick out one she likes.
posted by crankyrogalsky at 8:44 AM on February 4, 2011