Sailor Knot Necklace

I have not been able to wear a necklace consistently since I was in my twenties because of a nickel allergy. The back of my neck reacts first and it turns into a raw itchy line that takes over a week to settle down. This one is stainless steel with nothing in it that my skin objects to, and it has been on nearly every day since March. That has included workouts, showers, and long humid days where the chain sat against damp skin for hours at a time. There has been no rash, no itching, and no redness at any point in four months. For a chain with this much presence to be completely comfortable is not something I expected.

The back of a chain is where every plated necklace I have owned has failed, because it sits against your neck in sweat all day and never gets cleaned properly. Within a couple of months you can flip it over and see a completely different color, and after that it is only a matter of time. I have worn this one essentially every day since late February through workouts, showers, humid weather, and a lot of sunscreen. Last week I unclasped it and laid it out flat to compare the section that sits at my nape against the front links. They are identical, same brightness and same tone, with no darkening at the clasp either. That single test is what convinced me to buy the matching bracelet.

I got this in February and it has been through a genuinely absurd amount of water since. Daily showers, three months of pool afternoons with my grandkids, and two weeks on the Carolina coast where it was in the ocean nearly every day. I stopped rinsing it after the first month because it clearly did not need it. The joints between the links are the place I expected salt and chlorine to do their damage, since that is where water sits and cannot dry. There is no corrosion in there, no dark buildup, and no stiffness in the way the chain moves. It still lies as smooth and bright as it did the day I unboxed it.

The links are lovely and the gold tone looks far more expensive than the price, so I wear it daily. The packaging was very basic though, which mattered as it was meant as a gift.

Easy on the neck and it never bothers me during the day. The wait for it to arrive was the only downside.

Grey sweater, this necklace, and suddenly the outfit looks considered. It is the fastest way I know to look put together. On my neck five days a week.