Today we’re going to talk about short chains, the different ways to wear them, and how to measure for the length you need.
First off; What is a short chain?
These are small, dainty chains ranging from roughly 20mm to 50mm in length, and are used to further accessorizing body jewelry. One popular style is to wear it across the bridge of one’s nose, hence why they are sometimes called ‘nostril chains’, but of course they can be worn in a variety of other ways as well. Short jewelry chains are one of the best options for easily customizing your look!
As you can see below, these chains are super versatile, once you know how to use them. You can choose from a wide variety of materials, including titanium, steel, sterling silver and solid gold. Sterling silver will tarnish, but it's not worn directly in a piercing. So this isn't a big deal. If you like your silver dark, let it form that beautiful patina. It can turn almost black with time. If you prefer it shiny, a simple cloth can polish it right up, or you can use jewelry cleaner.For any chains that are gold or silver plated, you'll want to clean them gently with warm water and soap, drying thoroughly. But in practice, these kinds of chains don't really get that dirty.
They’re often called "nostril chains", because a common place to wear them is between two nostril piercings and across the top of the nose. The way to do this is to make sure the jewelry in your nostril has a larger end than the jump ring on the chain. This way you won't lose your chain.
Hook the chain on one side, by sliding it over your nose screw or nose bone, then insert the jewelry into your piercing. Then, insert the other piece of jewelry through the jump ring and then place that jewelry in the piercing.
If you're wearing labrets in your nostrils with threaded or threadless ends (it's pretty comfy for a lot of people and you may want to give it a shot) insert the labret through the piercing inside your nostril until the tip pokes out. Set one of the chain’s jump rings around it gently, and then insert the end into the labret and secure it. Repeat on the other side and you're done! Remember that to keep the chain secure you’ll want to make sure to use ends that are larger than the inner diameter of the jump rings.
Quite a few places. The most common are the nostril and bridge piercings, but they can also be strung from piercing to piercing in the ear (see above). They can be worn between a nostril piercing and the septum. They can also be worn between the nostril or septum and a philtrum piercing, but be sure to leave plenty of room for your lip to move around!
They can also be worn from the front to the back of a labret piercing. Hook the labret through one jump ring and insert into the piercing. String the chain out of the mouth, and then insert the end securing the chain in place. This can be a bit dangerous as too long a chain might interfere with chewing or damage the teeth. It's also possible to break or snag the chain on someone else's piercing when kissing or performing oral sex on someone with genital piercings. Or when eating, vaping, or doing anything with your lips around some other object.
Basically, you want to make sure the chain doesn't snag on anything. Drying your mouth with a towel? Yup, that can snag. Be cautious about wearing a short chain this way!
The ideal way is to cut a small strip of string and use that to measure, if going over the bridge of the nose. A piece of string can also be curved to get an idea of where the chain will fall across ear piercings. If you're between sizes, you'll always want to go a size up.
The length of chain you need is going to depend on your anatomy, and where your piercings are located.
There are so many ways to accessorize and change up your look with short chains, we encourage you to experiment!
And that's it! Enjoy the amazing world of short jewelry chains! And remember, even if you got it for your nostrils, you can repurpose it to tons of other piercings. We hope this has been helpful, and as always, please like and subscribe and follow us on our social @ bodyartforms!
