Medallion Gold Bracelets: A Disc on a Chain
80 solid 14ct gold medallion bracelets, 4.15g to 14.1g, from £1,010. How a disc changes the way a chain hangs, and the seven chain patterns it comes on.
Quick answer
There are 80 of them, from 4.15g to 14.1g (median 8.3g) and from £1,010 to £3,420 (median £2,010). All are solid 14ct gold, never plated or filled, 7.5 inches as standard and sized to your wrist before dispatch.
One weight, off centre
A medallion bracelet is a chain with a disc mounted on it. That sounds trivial and it is not, because a single concentrated mass changes how the whole bracelet behaves. A plain chain distributes its weight evenly and sits wherever you put it. A medallion chain always finds the same position: the disc rotates to the underside of the wrist unless the chain is short enough to stop it.
Good medallion designs deal with this in the chain, not the disc. The links either side of the medallion are made heavier so they resist twisting, and the disc is mounted on two points rather than one so it cannot swing. If a medallion bracelet spins on the wrist, that is a design or a fit problem, not something to live with.
The disc is also a display surface, and the reason most people choose one. It is large enough for a mark, a date or a monogram in a way that a chain link never is, and unlike an ID bracelet — where the plate is the structure — a medallion can be engraved without touching anything load-bearing.
Because the disc carries the design, the chain underneath it can be modest. That is why this collection stays light: the medallion is doing the visual work and the chain only has to carry it.
Seven chains to choose from
This finish exists on seven of our eleven patterns, and that limit is informative — a medallion needs a chain with a definite direction and a flat enough run to mount against. 15 are herringbone and 15 bar link, the two flattest chains we make. 14 are fancy link, 12 ID, 11 curb, 11 brick link and 2 braided.
There is no medallion on honeycomb, bead, mariner or tennis. Three of those are round or three-dimensional in section and give a disc nothing flat to sit against; the fourth is made entirely of settings.
All three of our examples happen to be curb-based, which shows how much a medallion can change within one chain: 4.15g is a small disc on a fine curb, 8.30g is the collection's median and the proportion most people picture, and 14.10g is a large disc on a substantial chain that reads as a single object rather than a chain with something on it.
A ceiling this collection never goes above
There are 80 medallion bracelets. Weights run 4.15g to 14.1g, median 8.3g, and that 14.1g ceiling is the lowest of the three finishes we hold by a wide margin — plain reaches 74.3g and stone-set 89.15g. A medallion is a light bracelet by construction.
Prices run £1,010 to £3,420, median £2,010. Only tennis has a lower ceiling, and only by £40 — between them these two are the collections where even the most expensive option stays in four figures.
79 are yellow gold and 1 is rose. All are solid 14ct gold, never plated or filled, and 77 of the 80 can also be made in 9ct or 18ct. Standard length 7.5 inches, adjusted to your measurement before dispatch.
Engraving, fit and care
The disc takes engraving well and it is the reason to buy one, so it is worth getting right. A disc is engraved before the bracelet is finished wherever possible, because working on a mounted disc means working around a chain. Tell us at the time of ordering and there is nothing to do afterwards.
Fit is the other thing to get right, and it is specific to this design. Too loose and the disc travels round to the underside of the wrist and stays there, which means you have bought a bracelet you cannot see. It should be close enough that the weight of the disc cannot turn the chain.
Cleaning is straightforward — warm soapy water and a soft brush — with attention to the two mounting points, where the disc meets the chain and where dirt collects unseen. Check those mounts once a year by lifting the disc gently: any play in it is worth correcting before it becomes a break.
Resizing is free and return postage is free if the length is not right. Most orders arrive within 14 days and we ship worldwide. Gold items are UK hallmarked at the London Assay Office on qualifying pieces, and every medallion bracelet here comes from our own workshops.
Other places to put a flat surface
A medallion is one of two answers to the same question. ID — the other design built around a single flat surface carried by a chain. Plain — the undecorated version of the same seven chains this finish is built on.
To see the pieces themselves rather than read about them, browse all 80 medallion bracelets — and the main guide has the fit and measuring advice in one place in the gold bracelet guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can the disc be engraved on both sides?
The front, always. The back only on designs where the disc stands clear of the chain — on a flush-mounted disc there is no access to the reverse.
Why does my medallion keep turning to the underside?
The bracelet is too loose for the weight of the disc. Bring it in and we will shorten it; resizing is free.
Why is there no honeycomb or bead medallion?
Both are three-dimensional in section, so there is no flat run for a disc to mount against. A disc fixed to a rounded chain sits proud and rocks.
Is the disc solid?
The listed weight is the whole finished piece, chain and disc together, and it is the number to judge by. If the construction of a particular disc matters to you, ask us about that design before ordering.