Men's Cross Pendant Chains

Men's cross pendant chains: a cross matched to its chain

A cross is often the one piece of jewelry a man wears every day. These necklaces come as a complete set, cross and chain, in stainless steel or titanium steel (a stainless steel alloy), with silver-tone, gold-tone or black finishes. Each cross is paired with a chain chosen for it, so the weight, the style and the length already work together. Choose by three things: the chain that suits the cross, its size, and where you want it to sit.

Which chain carries which cross

This collection is about the pairing: each cross comes on a chain picked for its size and style. If you're still deciding between a cross and a crucifix, or between finishes, our cross chains page covers that. Here, the question is what the chain does for the cross.

• Box chain: square links, smooth and quiet, so all the attention goes to the cross. Used for the Lord's Prayer cross, the hollow double cross, the nail cross and the cylindrical cross. The crucifix in titanium steel comes on a 3 mm rounded box chain.
• Figaro chain: a pattern of long and short links that adds detail of its own. Good with a plain, polished cross, like the slim cross (22" or 24") or the Figaro chain with cross (20").
• Byzantine chain: dense and woven, strong enough to stand next to a crucifix without looking thin. Offered from 22" to 31".
• Wheat chain: rounded and textured, paired with the openwork textured cross.

A plain chain suits a detailed cross; a patterned chain suits a plain cross. That's the logic behind most of these pairings.

How to choose the size of your cross

Cross sizes in this collection run from 30 mm to 60 mm tall. Here's how that reads on the chest:

• 30 mm: discreet, easy under a shirt. The small minimalist cross (30 x 18 mm) and the small cylindrical cross (3 cm) are here.
• 40 to 50 mm: the everyday middle ground, clearly visible over a T-shirt. Most crosses here sit in this range, like the 4.4 cm slim cross or the 43 mm minimalist.
• 55 to 60 mm: a statement cross, meant to be seen. The textured cross (55 mm), the nail cross (56 mm), the crucifix (58 mm) and the classic block cross (6 cm).

The larger the cross, the more it benefits from a longer chain. A 55 mm cross looks cramped at the collarbone and sits better on the middle of the chest, where it can lie flat.

Where your cross will sit

• 20" (50 cm): at the collarbone. The hollow double cross and the Figaro chain with cross use this length.
• 22" (55 cm): just below the collarbone, the easiest length to show with an open collar.
• 24" (60 cm): mid-chest, the most common length in this collection.
• 26" to 31": lower on the chest, available on the Byzantine crucifix only.

Wearing a cross every day

Wear a cross on its own, or with one plain chain about 2 inches (5 cm) shorter so the cross stays lowest. Avoid two pendants on the same neck: the cross loses its meaning in a crowd. For a quieter look, black finishes are the most discreet. Gold-tone versions are also grouped in our gold pendant chains, and other pendant symbols (saints, compass, bars) are in chain pendants.

Caring for a steel cross

Steel resists rust and handles daily wear. Engraved and textured crosses collect skin oils in the details: rinse in warm water with a drop of mild soap and dry well. On plated crosses, rinse after the pool, since chlorine wears plating over time, and put the necklace on after perfume.