Choose the pendant first, then the chain that can carry it. A light piece sits fine on a thin chain, while a heavy Jesus head wants a wider link and a longer drop. Read both weights before you pay, because in the middle set here about half the silver is in the chain. Plain .925 silver led what sold in the year, faith pieces first. Ask the live chat what a listing leaves open.
The pendant: silver Jesus piece, crucifix or cross pendant set
Start with the piece you will wear every day. Faith pieces make up close to two in five sets here. They also took about three in five of the pieces sold in the year, and the crucifix on a Franco chain went out more than any other set.
The spiked-crown Jesus head comes in five sets, on Franco, Cuban and rope chains. Most of the crosses here carry a colored stone, amethyst, garnet, topaz, emerald or sapphire, and the silver cross necklaces hold more. Nearly all the Trax logo sets are limited editions, and nine of the ten read SOLD OUT. The live chat can tell you whether another run is coming.
Size: how big a silver pendant is, in inches and millimeters
The middle pendant stands about an inch and a half tall, or 39 mm. About two in three fall between one and two inches. Three pieces, a large St. Lazarus, a spiked-crown head and an eagle, reach three inches or more.
A quarter is just under an inch across, so the middle pendant stands about a quarter and a half tall. Past two inches a pendant reads from across the room, which is the whole idea of a big Jesus head.
The chain: Franco, Cuban, rope or cable silver chain, and how wide
Match the chain's width to the pendant's weight. On the sets here, pendants under 10 grams ride a chain about 2 mm wide. Pendants of 50 grams and up ride one closer to 4 mm.
The title names the link on a little under half the sets, and Franco is the link named most. The same spiked-crown head comes on a Franco in one set and on a Cuban in a set twice as heavy, so read the chain in the title as well as the length. For a chain on its own, see the men's silver chains.
Length: 18, 20, 22 or 24 inch silver chain for a pendant
Most sets let you pick the length on the listing, usually 18, 20, 22 and 24 inches, and a few reach 26.
Go short for a small piece you want seen in an open collar. Go long for a big head that should hang mid chest over a T-shirt. Three crucifix sets here are sold in a single length, 22 or 24 inches, so look at the menu first. The chain and pendant sets guide walks through where each length lands.
Weight and care: how heavy a silver pendant set is, and does .925 silver tarnish
The middle set weighs about 32 grams in all. In that middle set the chain carries about half the silver, so a heavy Cuban adds more than it looks. Most listings print the pendant and the chain weights apart, and you should read both.
Silver goes dark over time from air and skin, and a silver cloth wipes it bright again. Some pieces are blackened on purpose, like the oxidized bomber, so keep the cloth off the dark parts.