Can anyone say anything about this necklace?

[YesILikeItToo]

My mum gave me this. She said she got it from someone, and that it’s so well used it used to be gilded. There’s no sign of any gilt at all now - it’s a convincing shiny grey colour everywhere.

Has this style got a name? Or a period associated with it? Can we tell what it’s made of? If my mum is right it’s the ‘base metal’ that was used to make a ‘gold’ chain. I can hardly believe that though - who would have worn it through the shabby phase when the gilt was falling off?

In one sense, it’s quite boring. But in another sense I love it. I wear it quite a bit.

It looks incredibly long.

It is very long! If I just put it on it comes down easily to my crotch, or even thighs. I loop it around again, and am always trying to knot it somehow to make it show its charms.

It looks like the type of chain called a “snake chain”, and it looks like either tarnished silver, or just tarnished metal. I have a similar style chain which was fairly cheap, just metal (not silver) and has tarnished in exactly the same way. I’d be surprised if it was once gilded? But am not a jewellery expert.

It looks like a snake chain and I’d be surprised if it had ever been gilded. Have you tried polishing it with silver cleaner? If you have some put some on a soft cloth and carefully draw the chain through, but it can kink so keep it straight and don’t pull hard! Or do it with hot water and aluminium foil (see if it’s got a hallmark...)

In terms of period - this snake chain style is a pretty standard design of necklace. There are loads of ones like that these days, so it looks modern to me.

I’ve never thought to clean it because of the story about the golden colour, I just assumed it wasn’t silver.

If it is silver, perhaps it is/was silver gilt and the thin gilding has worn off over time. Does it have anywhere like a clasp that might have a hallmark?

My mum used to have a gold one of these, I think. I searched for Slinky Tube Necklace and Snake Chain Necklace and found a couple: www.etsy.com/uk/listing/788128489/vintage-gold-tone-snake-chain-tube-1980s

I know nothing about jewellery but I am interested in costume. I wonder if your necklace dates from the Twenties. They used to wear very long necklaces which were wrapped once round your neck like a choker leaving the rest to dangle to your waist. The fashionable figure at the time was straight up and down. Norks wrecked the effect.

Or do it with hot water and aluminium foil (see if it’s got a hallmark...)

You missed out an ingredient - you need to add bicarbonate of sofa to the boiling water.

Be careful when you put it down and how you store it. Snake chains kink, and when they do you can't repair them. So allow it to gently drop and find its own pattern to lie in.

You missed out an ingredient - you need to add bicarbonate of sofa to the boiling water.

This made me laugh too much

I’ve had a go with an impregnated cloth marked ‘for cleaning precious metals’ which listed a few I hadn’t thought of - pewter, chrome, nickel, stainless steel, as well as silver. Although much tarnish came off, I’m not sure I’ve made a great difference to the appearance of the chain.

This is the ‘clasp’, the hallmark would be here, I think, and there’s nothing.

Are you saying no, then, to tying a knot in it ginsparkles when I wear it?

Could it be a waist chain?

It’s far too long to be a belt. And you can’t open the clasp, it’s fixed, so doubling to round your waist would [falls over herself trying it and tripping up].

Yes a long snake chain. clasp looks modern. cant tell in the picture due to the light what it is. Could just be tarnished silver. If its fairly old it will never come up the same silver but will improve with a polishing cloth. under certain weights silver and gold dont necessarily need hallmarks. It looks pretty long though.

Interesting about the twenties look of once round and drop to the waist Prawn - here I am channelling Angela Lansbury for a Death on the Nile theme and that’s exactly what I’ve done with it.

You look great!

Could you take it to an independent jewellers once lockdown is relaxed?

Thanks! I suppose the question is, though, when you aren’t wearing three other chains with it, can the necklace carry its own? I just was wondering if it was meant for hanging things on (but how?) or for some particular look. I think my mum added an extra turn and wore the three strands at an even length in the seventies.

1980s costume snake chain

The fashion was to wear loads of different lengths.

It was a pain in the arse untangling them all the next morning after picking them up off my bedroom floor too 😂

80s has come up before - on the eBay link above, but it’s not from the 80s - I have earlier photos of my mum wearing it. Why do you say that - were they in fashion?

Oh, Now you say that I can just picture Madonna with that look DartmoorChef.