Bikers Necklaces: What, Who, and Why

Bikers as a subculture have many distinctive features helping them stand out from the crowd. It is clear that a motorcycle is the first sign by which you can distinguish a biker from a driver or pedestrian. It is the first sign but not the last one. Despite the fact that the biker culture is young enough, it has fully established and developed some rules that all the adherents must obey. Some of these rules are written on paper, such as the Biker Code or the Code of a specific motorcycle club, and some rules are unspoken. Those are not laws, rather the recommendations for the riders. They include appearance, fashion, and accessory choice. We will talk about accessories, in particular, neck jewelry, in this post.

Why Bikers Wear Necklaces

There are several reasons for necklaces to adorn their masculine necks. Let’s highlight the most obvious ones:

1. To look badass. Indeed, the image of every rider is imbued with manliness and a cool attitude. Black leather and jingling jewelry are meant to testify that this dude is cool as ice. Without jewelry, bikers would be just men in black. But with its help, motorcyclists can create a unique image recognizable by everyone. Many desperately copy the biker style and put on jewelry is its indispensable attribute.
2. To tie the scattered elements of the look together. If bikers abandoned jewelry but continued wearing biker accessories (such as a buckle or wallet chain), these items would stick out like a sore thumb. However, as soon as they add a few rings, necklaces, and bracelets, everything gets in its place. The image of a biker becomes out-there but it is quite cohesive.
3. To show what a biker believes in. You probably didn’t know, but a necklace can say something about the person wearing it. For example, if he wears 1% silver biker pendants, you can immediately guess that this guy belongs to a biker gang. A dog tag necklace may speak of his military past or present. Harley Davidson jewelry will let you know what brand of motorcycles he prefers. If a guy wears a cross, he’s probably a believer (yes, bikers can be religious, too).

These are perhaps the main reasons why bikers do not part with jewelry. Do you know other reasons? Let us know in the comments.

Types of Biker Necklaces

Almost all biker necklaces are chunky, heavy, and tough. They sort of mimic the bikers themselves. A thin necklace will just get lost on a bulging chest. Besides, nobody wants his necklace to get torn and disappear, so jewelers make sure to craft them very durable. If you’d decided to tow a motorcycle on a biker chain, you’d probably succeed.

Thick and relatively short Cuban, Figaro, or Anchor chains are standout pieces by themselves meaning they don’t need a pendant. Along with that, there might be something to add some zest, for instance, a skull resting on the clasp. Some designers go even further and instead of chain necklaces, they roll out items made of dozens of small Iron crosses, skulls, crowns, dragon scales, etc. While such a necklace looks fantastic and attention-grabbing, you probably don’t want to wear it every day.

Some bikers don’t really enjoy heavy necklaces. If you are one of these, you can go with more elegant silver or leather necklace featuring a pendant. It will look appropriate not only with biker outfits but also with a t-shirt and casual apparel.

Harper Harrison

Harper Harrison is a reporter for The Hear UP. Harper got an internship at the NPR and worked as a reporter and producer. harper has also worked as a reporter for the Medium. Harper covers health and science for The Hear UP.