Most chains listed as "silver" online are brass or copper with a thin silver wash over the top. The wash wears off in weeks. What's left is a chain that turns your skin green and looks nothing like what you paid for.
925 hallmark is the first thing to check. It means 92.5% silver, 7.5% other metal for strength — pure silver on its own is too soft to hold a chain's shape. No hallmark stamp on the clasp or tag is a red flag, not an oversight. We cover the full purity check, including the magnet and tarnish tests, in the 90-second silver test if you want the short version before you buy anything.
Weight matters more than people think. A 20-inch chain that feels feather-light for its length is usually hollow tube construction, not solid links. Hollow chains kink and flatten faster — fine for occasional wear, a poor choice if you're taking it off and on daily.
For everyday wear, box chains and curb chains hold up best. Both use tighter, more uniform links that resist tangling and don't stretch out of shape the way rope or snake chains can over a year of regular use. Snake chains look sharp but tangle badly if they're not stored flat. The same weight and link logic applies if you're pairing a chain with a pendant — a hollow chain will sag under a heavier piece.
Tarnish isn't a defect — it's a sign the silver is real. Pure silver reacts to sulfur in the air and darkens over time. A quick wipe with a polishing cloth after every few wears keeps it from building up. Chains that never tarnish, even after months of daily wear, usually aren't silver at all.
If chains aren't what you're after, our rings and earring and pendant sets go through the same hallmark check before they ship.