★★★★★ 4.6 (350+ reviews)
Most copper-look chains in the high street are a thin wash of colour over something cheaper. The Onyx isn't. It is one metal from end to end — a chain of interlocking X-links, each one pressed and fitted by hand until the whole length hangs and moves the way a good chain should.
- Solid 99.9% pure copper, right through every link — no plating sitting on top of a cheaper base
- No nickel in the metal, which is the alloy behind most jewellery rashes
- 530 mm of hand-fitted X-links, so it drapes and moves instead of lying stiff
- £24.99 today, half of £49.98, with free UK delivery and 30 days to change your mind
The necklace you take off before your coat is even hung up
If the back of your neck starts prickling an hour in, that usually isn't you being difficult. It is nickel — the alloy hiding under the shine on most high-street chains, and the most common cause of contact allergy in jewellery there is. The Onyx has none in it, because there is nothing in it but copper.
- Nothing plated on, so nothing can wear thin at the nape and expose a different metal underneath
- No nickel anywhere in the metal — the single honest reason this sits quietly where others didn't
- Warm to the touch the moment you put it on, rather than that cold shock of cheap alloy
One size · 530 × 7 × 3 mm · 99.9% pure copper. £24.99 today, half of £49.98.
Why the obvious answers haven't worked
PLATED CHAINS
The copper-tone chain from the department store
It looks right in the box. Then six months of skin, soap and perfume thin the plating where it rubs at the back of the neck, and whatever was underneath starts to show — usually whatever was cheapest to press into shape.
THE LABEL
Buying whatever says “hypoallergenic” on the card
It isn't a regulated word. It tells you what the seller hopes rather than what is actually in the alloy. A metal named outright — copper, 99.9% — tells you considerably more than a reassuring label does.
GIVING UP
Deciding necklaces simply aren't for you
Two or three bad experiences and most women stop wearing anything at the throat altogether. More often than not it was one ingredient causing the trouble, not the whole idea of a necklace.
A plated high-street chain, next to a solid copper one
Take two, and the price comes down again
2 pieces — 10% off
One to wear and one wrapped for a birthday. The discount is taken off at checkout without a code.
3 pieces — 15% off
Enough for a necklace and a bracelet of your own with one left over for someone else.
4 or more — 20% off
The best price we do. Most people who get to four are buying Christmas early, and quite sensibly.
Applied automatically in your basket, and it stacks on top of the half-price sale that is already running.
How the Onyx is put together
Interlocking X-links
Every link is pressed into its X shape and fitted into the one before it by hand. That is what gives the chain its drape — it follows the line of your collarbone rather than sitting on top of it.
99.9% pure copper
A single metal, not a coating over a base. There is no plating layer to wear through, so the piece you are wearing in five years is made of exactly what it is today.
Nickel-free by its nature
Nickel is the most common contact allergen in jewellery. It isn't left out of this as a feature — there is simply nowhere for it to be, because the copper is the whole object.
99.9% pure copper · 530 × 7 × 3 mm · one size · £24.99, half of £49.98.
Common questions
Will it leave a green mark on my skin?
It can, and we would rather tell you than let you find out. Copper reacts with the natural acids in your skin and sometimes leaves a faint green tint where it rests. It is harmless, it is a mark and not a rash, and it washes off with soap in a few seconds. Some people never see it at all; others notice it in warm weather. The band of clear lacquer on the inner face reduces it, and keeping the piece dry helps more than anything.
Does wearing copper help with arthritis, aches or circulation?
No. We know that is why a good many people go looking for copper in the first place, so we will be plain about it: randomised, placebo-controlled trials have found no effect from wearing copper on arthritis, joint pain, inflammation or circulation. Buy this because it is solid metal, free of nickel and good to look at. Not for your health.
How long is it, and how does it fasten?
The chain measures 530 mm — roughly 21 inches — so it sits down on the chest rather than up at the collarbone. The listing doesn't specify the closure type, and we would rather not guess at it, so do message us before ordering if the fastening matters to you.
How should I look after it?
Wear it and let it darken if you like that — copper takes a warm patina that many people prefer to the bright finish. If you want the shine back, a soft cloth with a little lemon juice and salt lifts it in a minute; rinse and dry it properly afterwards. Take it off before a bath, a swim or the shower.
I react to most jewellery. Will I react to this?
There is no nickel in it, and nickel is behind the majority of jewellery reactions. A small number of people are sensitive to copper itself, though, so if you have never worn it before, try an hour or two first rather than a full day.
Can I send it back if it isn't right?
Yes — 30 days from the day it arrives, for any reason at all, including simply not liking how it looks on. UK delivery to you is free.
What customers are saying
Illustrative examples of the feedback we get on this piece, not verbatim reviews.
★★★★★
Marjorie T., 64
"I haven't worn a necklace since my fifties without the back of my neck coming up red. Six weeks in this one and nothing at all. It's heavier than I expected, which I mean as a compliment."
★★★★★
Anne-Marie G., 57
"I bought it for the length — I wanted something sitting below the collar, not on it. The links move beautifully. It has gone a shade darker already and I think I like it more for that."
Evely Rose Boutique · Product details reflect the current listing.
Free UK delivery · 30-day returns · Secure checkout
Half price right now — £24.99, was £49.98
