Posted by Kristin on 5/22/2018 to
Jewelry Information and Guides
A brief introduction to our base metal chain finishes and popular styles of jewelry for each finish. Sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference between some of our chains, such as Rhodium and Silver Plated, or Copper and Rose Gold. Hopefully the images below will give you some guidance in determining which chain finish you prefer!
Antique Brass
Antique brass chain is a popular finish choice for steampunk jewelry and vintage-style jewelry. Brass plated chain and findings also pair well with natural jewelry motifs, such as leaves, feathers, geodes and crystals. Our brass chain is the perfect addition to your handcrafted brass jewelry components. 
Antique Copper
The aged copper finish is well suited for Western and boho style jewelry, and it compliments turquoise and other natural stones. Copper is also popular with natural designs such as wire-wrapped tree of life pendants. Our chains are brass-based with copper plating and an antique finish to create that vintage appeal.
Antique Silver
Our most popular finish by far - all of our chains are available in the antique silver plated finish! Our base metal chain is plated with sterling silver and finished with an antiquing process to mimic the look of vintage silver chain. Also referred to as oxidized silver or vintage sterling silver, this popular jewelry chain is sure to suit almost any design style. It makes a great basic chain finish to stock in your store or use it as a base chain for a pewter charm necklace.
Copper
We have select popular chain styles available in shiny copper plate, including rolo, curb, and beading chain. The bright orange color is popular for rustic styles and natural designs, though we have also seen some great elegant designs made with copper!
Gold
Gold plated chain is a great alternative to solid or gold-filled chains. The core is a hypoallergenic brass chain, electroplated with a gold alloy, then clear coated with acrylic to help seal the plating. This provides a high quality gold-plated chain without the crazy cost of solid gold. With over a hundred styles to choose from, these wholesale spools of gold electroplated chain are one of our most popular products for bead stores and jewelry designers.
Gunmetal
Shiny gunmetal plated chain has an incredible look - we love it for edgy and gothic styles, but the metallic dark grey also contrasts beautifully with crystals and other bling. It works very well for unisex jewelry and mixed metal designs. We used to call this black chain, but with the addition of our Nite Black and Nite Black Shiny chains we have renamed it to gunmetal to more accurately reflect the unique deep charcoal color!
Matte Gold
Matte gold or brushed gold is an extremely popular choice for modern jewelry design. It's often used for simple minimalist jewelry, but don't be afraid to use one of our unique chains to make a statement necklace or bracelet! Lately we've seen many choker designs featuring delicate matte gold chains, which we carry in wholesale spools. Our chain is hypoallergenic brass, which is plated with a gold alloy and then coated with a mattifying top coat for that brushed gold look. This plating results in a warm golden finish that has a subtle glow.
Matte Gunmetal
Matte gunmetal is a dark gray colored chain for jewelry making and accessories. It has a flat, antiqued-style finish without the shine of regular gunmetal. This look is great for an edgy style or men's jewelry, or try combining it with our other dark chains for a trendy mixed metal style. Our matte gunmetal chain is available wholesale by the spool at the best price you'll find online!
Nite Black
Our pure black plating has a powdery matte finish for a truly flat black chain. Not to be confused with gunmetal, our black chain is as black as the darkest night sky - hence the name! Available in wholesale spools, our blackened chain is perfect for the jewelry designer looking for something unique. These chains always catch the eye of passing visitors at trade shows, so they are sure to create a unique look for your jewelry line!
Nite Black Shiny
This color is a pure black plating with a mirrored style black finish. We love this glossy pitch black chain for the sleek and edgy style it brings to any jewelry creation. The chain itself is brass based, with black electroplating and high gloss acrylic coating. We offer a variety of black chains in wholesale quantities with coordinating findings and components.
Rhodium
Rhodium plating is a bright chrome finish similar to white gold. In fact, many white gold fine jewelry pieces are plated with rhodium to brighten up the underlying gold plating. Our hypoallergenic rhodium chains are brass-based, with rhodium electroplating and a clear acrylic coating. We love rhodium chain and findings for their resistance to tarnish - if silver plated components are turning on you, give rhodium a try! Our huge variety of rhodium chains are also a good match for many of our metal components for leather, if you prefer a shinier look than the antique silver chains. We are happy to carry wholesale spools of popular chains in rhodium, like rolo chain, ball chain, beading chain, curb chain, cable chain, and wheat chain; we also carry fun charm chains, large link chains, dangle chains and more unique designs!
Silver Plate
Silver plate chain is a popular and economic alternative to solid sterling silver chain. Our silver plated chain has a hypoallergenic brass core that is plated using real sterling silver, then clear coated with acrylic to help seal the finish. Like solid sterling silver, this plated chain can lightly tarnish over time, which can easily be cleaned with a silver polish or jewelry cleaning cloth for years of wear. Silver plate is one of our most popular chain finishes and will fit most design styles. It's especially well suited to the simple, minimalist jewelry that is so popular today!
Raw Brass
This unplated brass chain is perfect for applying your own antiquing, patina, paint, or dye. Or you can leave it raw and it will oxidize to a lovely dark brass color. We started carrying this hypoallergenic brass chain, which is the core of all of our plated chains, by customer request. Some of our super creative customers use this raw chain to compliment their own handmade brass focal pieces.
Rose Gold
Our rose gold chain has a hypoallergenic brass base with a rose gold alloy plating. The gold alloy includes copper to create a warm pink color that is especially popular in today's dainty minimalist jewelry. We offer rose gold plated chain in a few of our most popular styles, but we can special order any of our chain styles in rose gold if you are interested! Just contact us to get the ball rolling. Of course we also carry lobster clasps and jump rings to match the pink gold chain!
Sterling Silver
Over 30 styles of the highest quality Italian sterling silver chain including Rolo, Curb, Cable, Textured Cable Chain and more. You can order our sterling silver jewelry chain by the foot at a great price, or get an even bigger discount by ordering in bulk 10 feet or more. We recommend solid silver chain for your finest jewelry making designs - it's perfect for showcasing your own silver pendants and silver wire work.
925 sterling silver chain is 92.5% pure silver with an alloy of other metal to add strength and durability. For our alloy, the 7.5% is mostly brass with a bit of zinc. The chain is then plated with 99.9% pure silver on top of the sterling silver. This silver bath gives extra shine and brilliance to the chain, while also helping to prevent tarnish.
2 Comments
diana wallace
Date
10/22/2018
Wanting to inquire about magnetic clasps for round leather cord. Was getting ready to order some here for 1.5mm and 2mm cord but the magnets I found on Etsy are falling apart on me so... maybe not??? Whats been your feedback on them? Thanks:).
svetlana
Date
2/21/2021
What metal is used to plate the black matte chain?
