Start with what sells, then settle the grams, the chain length, the silver and the gift
Take what people keep buying. No silver piece we carry sold more in the year than the crucifix set on its Franco chain, and the Da Vinci lion topped the rings here. Then check the grams. Most pendants and sets bought here come in at 10 to 30 grams. This collection is silver apart from a lone gold cross, and most of it is men's.
Best sellers: best selling silver jewelry, and where to start
Begin with a pendant set. Sets are the kind bought most here, about a third of every piece that went out, and a set arrives on its chain. The Franco chain crucifix leads the sets, a cross two inches tall with a sculpted figure. On the finger, the Da Vinci lion sold the most over the year, with the 6 mm Cuban link band next. Every piece here was placed by hand, and piece for piece they outsold the rest of our silver more than two to one.
Weight: heavy silver jewelry, and how many grams to look for
Judge silver by its grams. Two pieces can look alike in a photo, and the heavier one holds more silver. Most pendants and sets bought here weigh 10 to 30 grams, easy to wear all day. Past 60 grams a pendant becomes a statement, and few buyers went that heavy. A solid chain should carry anything of 30 grams or more. The lion ring puts 27.5 grams on the finger. A slim Cuban link band comes in near 6 or 7 grams.
Chain length: which silver chain length to choose for a pendant
Match the length to the pendant. Most sets here start as short as 18 inches. Nearly all of them reach 24. A 20 inch chain sits at a man's collarbone. Go to 22 and it falls just below. A 24 inch chain reaches mid-chest, the drop a tall pendant needs. A small piece, like the mini Jesus head, sits best up high. The same chain falls lower on a woman, so she can go a step shorter.
Sterling: .925 or .999 silver, plating and tarnish
Wear sterling, the .925 on a listing, which is silver toughened with a little copper. Fine silver at .999 is purer but too soft to hold a clasp or a prong for long. The one piece on this page that is not silver is a cross in 14K gold. A few listings offer gold plating, like the Lariat necklace and three of the tiger heads. The gray film silver gathers over months is tarnish, and it wipes off. We tell buyers to keep silver in a closed bag and wipe it with a silver cloth. A piece worn often stays brighter than one left in a drawer.
Gifts: the best silver gift for him or for her
For him, a pendant set is the easy gift, since it needs no ring size. The faith pieces lead what sells. A ring needs his size, and we cannot take one back once it has been resized, so measure a ring he wears with the men's ring size guide. For her, start with the pieces we offer to men and women alike. The 2.3 mm rope chain is one. A 5 mm Cuban link ring is another.