The Necklace Set That Finally Made Getting Dressed Easier

For about fifteen years my getting dressed routine had a hole in it. I would put on a decent top, look in the mirror over my dresser, and think, that needs something. Not a scarf, I am not a scarf person. Not a brooch, those felt like my mother. Just something at the neck.

The one necklace I owned before this spring lives in a box and comes out for weddings and funerals. The rest of what I tried over the years quit early. A plated chain went dark by August. A beaded piece lasted one summer before the string let go. After a while I stopped bothering and told myself plain was fine.

So the first week of May I ordered the MEVECCO dainty layered pendant necklace off Amazon, with my own money, and I did not expect a great deal.

It is brass with yellow gold plating, two layers hanging from a single lobster clasp, a fine ball chain, and a small pendant at the bottom with cubic zirconia set in it. Fifteen grams, which is nothing at all. The price was about what a nice lunch with Donna costs, and I figured that was a fair amount to risk on a piece I might never wear.

What I did not expect was how much the single clasp would matter. Two layers, one fasten, at the back of my neck, and it is on. Two separate chains would have meant two clasps and two chances to be late for church. This one I can do in the dark.

The other thing it does is make a plain top look planned. I have a navy knit I bought six years ago that is about as exciting as a paper bag. With this around my neck it reads like an outfit. Same top, same face, same ten minutes of getting ready.

Two layers, one clasp, and the plain navy knit I have owned for six years suddenly looks like I gave it some thought.

I wear it most days now, mostly with V-necks and open collars, because that is where the two layers lie flat and the small pendant stays put instead of sliding around to the back of my neck. On a high crew neck I leave it in the tray, since it does not fix every neckline and I am not going to pretend it does. The reason I never tried layering before is that it looked like work: two chains, two lengths that have to agree with each other, one more thing to untangle at seven in the morning. The MEVECCO necklace comes already set, so the deciding is done for me.

My routine is the same as it is for everything in the tray. Jewelry goes on last, after the lotion and hairspray and perfume have dried. It comes off before bed, before a shower, before I go out and pull weeds. A soft dry cloth when I take it off, then back into its own compartment, lying straight and clasped. No dips, no polish, no toothpaste. It is plated brass and water is the enemy.

Two honest complaints. The lobster clasp is small and my right thumb has a little arthritis in it, so some mornings it takes me two tries. And if I drop it into the tray loose, the two layers twist around each other and I have to straighten them out before I fasten it. Laying it straight and clasped takes three extra seconds and settles the whole thing. The third point is not a complaint, it is a fact: plated brass will not look new forever. At six months the plating is holding up fine because I keep it dry, and I have no illusions about year five.

I have never owned a single pendant necklace. Kelly wears one and it looks lovely on her, and I considered one for a while before deciding the MEVECCO layered version suited me better, since it does the work of two pieces without me having to match anything to anything. I also looked at sterling silver hoops at a department store counter this spring and left them sitting there. Different purchase, different day.

The first Thursday after it arrived I wore it to lunch with Donna and she spotted it before she spotted my haircut. A friend at church asked me the next Sunday where I got it and was surprised when I said Amazon. Nobody has asked whether it is real gold, which I take as a good sign, and I would have told them the truth if they had.

What I'd Tell You If We Were Sitting at My Kitchen Table

Here is what I would tell you if you were sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Buy the one piece you will actually reach for, not the whole matching set. A necklace that lives in a box is not a bargain at any price, and I know that because I owned one for fifteen years and wore it twice a decade.

And be clear with yourself about what this is. Plated brass, cubic zirconia, two layers on one clasp. The MEVECCO necklace is not fine jewelry and it does not pretend to be. My one real gold item is the plain band Walt put on my hand all those years ago, and that is the way it should stay. If you want something to hand down to Kelly, save up and buy the real thing. If you want to walk out the door on a Thursday morning looking like you made an effort, this does that, and it has done it for six months without a single problem. Take it off at night, keep it dry, and it will treat you right for a good while.