Curb Link Chains

A chain of identical oval links in which every link has been given a half twist and then pressed flat, so that all the faces lie in one plane and the chain reads as a flat ribbon of overlapping plates with a scalloped edge.

The pressing is what separates it from a plain oval chain. Without it the links would stand across one another and the chain would sit as a round cord; with it, the chain has a front, a back, and a definite way of lying.

It is made from very fine widths that carry a pendant to broad widths worn alone, usually with the link edges cut to a bevel. The width, karat and finish of each chain are given on its listing.

From an oval ring of round wire. As the ring is threaded through the previous link it is rotated half a turn, so its face lines up with the face before it rather than crossing it, and the seam is then closed.

When the run is complete it is passed under a press or between rollers, which squashes each link from front to back. The wire spreads into a flat plate, wide across the face and thin at the edge, and the twist can no longer undo itself.

The pressing sets both the shape and the behaviour of the chain. From that point on, every link is a small flat plate hinged to the next, and the chain has a flat side to lie on.

It brings every link into the same plane. In a chain of untwisted rings, each ring stands across the last and the chain has no flat side. Turning each ring half a turn as it is added makes all the faces point the same way.

Pressing then fixes that arrangement. The result is a chain with a front, where the faces overlap in a row, and a back, which lies against the skin, so the chain settles flat rather than rolling as a cord.

It also decides how the chain bends. The links hinge freely in the plane of their faces and resist being folded across them, which is why a curb curls easily into a loop but does not like being doubled over.

An angled plane cut along the outer margin of each link after the chain is assembled. A rotating cutter shaves the exposed edges of the pressed faces, leaving a clean slope on either side of the chain and a flat strip along the middle where the links overlap.

Each bevel is a small angled mirror, and as the chain moves each one catches the light in turn. The chain shows a row of short bright dashes down each side, which is the effect usually described as diamond-cut.

A curb left uncut has softer, rounded faces and reflects as a gentle continuous gleam. The bevelled version is brighter at the same width, and a fingertip can feel a faint ridge along its edges.

Along its edges rather than across its face. The overlapping plates present a narrow flat strip down the centre, and the bevels on either side are what flash, so the light reads as two lines of bright dashes running the length of the chain.

Because each bevel sits at a slightly different angle as the chain curves, the dashes light up in sequence as the wearer turns, and the chain seems to ripple with light without any single point being brighter than the rest.

On a fine curb the dashes merge into a continuous glitter. On a wide one each bevel is large enough to be seen on its own, and the chain reads as a line of small bright facets set in a flat ribbon.

Yes. The pressing gives every link a face, and all the faces point the same way, so one side of the chain shows the row of overlapping plates with their bevels and the other shows the same row from behind, which is flatter and duller.

The chain is worn with the bevelled side out. If a section rolls while the chain is being put on, it shows as a short stretch with a different sheen, and it is turned back by running the chain between finger and thumb.

At ordinary widths the flat back and the weight of the chain keep it from rolling once it has settled. Very fine curbs are lighter and can twist more readily, which is one reason they are usually worn with a pendant to hold them steady.

A link has been forced partly out of plane. A curb bends freely edge-on and resists being folded front to back, so a chain crushed in a pocket or wound tightly can lever one link up against its neighbours, and the plates on either side then hold it there.

Lay the chain flat on a hard surface with the bevels upward and press gently along its length with a thumb. A mild step usually drops back into line, since the link only needs to be pushed past the point where its neighbours grip it.

A link that has twisted in its joint rather than merely lifted needs a jeweller, who eases it back with smooth-jawed pliers or, if it has creased, cuts it out and closes the chain around a replacement.

By opening one link. The jeweller cuts through the seam of a single link, lifts the unwanted run away, threads the cut link through its new neighbour with the same half turn as the rest, and closes the seam with solder.

Because every link is the same and there is no sequence to preserve, the cut can be made at either end or in the middle. The bevel on the repaired link is touched in afterwards so it matches its neighbours.

A hollow curb is worked with more care, since each link is a pressed tube with a thinner seam, but the method is identical. Lengthening is done the same way in reverse, with links of matching width and finish threaded in.

From well under two millimetres, where the pressed links are too small to read individually and the chain shows as a bright flat thread suited to a small pendant, through two, three and four millimetres, which is the range most often worn on its own.

From five or six millimetres upward each link becomes a visible plate with its own bevel, and the chain has enough weight to be the piece rather than a carrier. Hollow construction is usual at the widest sizes to keep them wearable.

The link is the same at every width; only the size of the oval and the gauge of the wire change. Each listing states the width, construction and finish of that particular chain.

It will. The flat faces give a bail something to rest on, so a pendant on a curb hangs square to the front and does not turn to show its edge, and the chain's weight holds it at the lowest point of the curve.

The bail has to clear the width of the pressed link, which is greater than the width of the wire the link was made from. A bail cut for a fine round-link chain may not pass over a curb of the same nominal width.

A bail with a smooth interior slides along the faces without catching on the bevels. A bail with a sharp inside edge can, over time, wear a bright line across the plates at the front where the pendant sits.