Adored by kings and queens, a symbol of the manufacture of ancient civilizations and the counter-cultures of the young, a constant inspiration for artists, stylists and designers, the chain is one of the most loved jewellery items of material culture and the most worn in the history of costume.With an authoritative critical essay and large selection of photographs, this book - updated with expanded illustrative material - retraces the symbolic and aesthetic evolution of the chain from early history to modern day and its intersections with art, fashion, design, manufacture and new technologies.A fascinating and skillfully illustrated journey that shows how extraordinary jewellery, able to link the past to the future in the name of creativity, beauty and innovation, can be generated from such a simple functional element.Text in English and Italian.