Flat chains used to be all the rage. Herringbone Chains, which are flat wide chains, sold like hot cakes in the 80's and 90's. People couldn't get enough of them. But
Herringbone Chains had one huge defect...
They kinked easily!
And when I say Kinked easily, I mean it. It didn't take much to get those flat interlocking links to kink. Anytime you got the chain caught or pulled it would kink up. Anytime you slept with it on, it would bend and kink.
But the biggest reason why Herringbone Chains kinked was because people always wanted to hang charms and pendants on them. You can't do that. This chain is meant to be worn by itself so it can lay perfectly flat. Flat Chains just aren't meant to hold charms, period! Don't even try it. Charms and Pendants have a bail on them that slides over round chains. The charms twist and turn and if it's on a flat chain, that spells trouble. Plus the weight of the charm would pull down in the center of the chain, causing your Herringbone Chain to stretch and twist and kink up. In other words, it would ruin the chain!
You see, once you kink a Herringbone Chain, it's pretty much toast. It'll never be the same again. Even if you work out the kink and get it flat again, the chain will always be weak and fragile in that spot. It'll just keep kinking and bending there and eventually break.
There's no way around this. You can have the kink cut out of the chain if it's kinked too much. But you'll always see where they soldered the chain back together again. And then, once it's soldered, it'll be stiff in that area which will cause the chain on either side of the solder to bend and kink. It's a no-win situation.
There's not much you can do to save a Herringbone Chain once it's kinked. All Jewelers can do is a nifty little trick of laying the chain flat and rolling the kink out with a round object like a pen. (picture a rolling pin and dough) Rolling the chain out will help flatten the chain, but it will always be weak in that area. Wear it with caution.
I usually recommend 3 things to customers who have Kinked Herringbone Chains:. 1) Twist it carefully to work the kink out and just keep wearing it until it gets really bad. 2) Cut the chain up into a couple of Bracelets from the good portions of the chain left. 3) Scrap it and buy a rope or link chain that won't kink!
Bottom line: Ditch the Herringbone Chain for good and buy a Diamond Pendant instead. You can never go wrong with Diamonds!
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