The Tilly Sveaas T-Bar Guide
The T-Bar has been part of Tilly Sveaas since 2016, but its story goes back much further than that.
With our smallest-ever T-Bar arriving this October, here's a closer look at where it all started, how the collection has grown, and how you can choose, shop, and style yours.
Where The T-bar Story Began
It all started with a gold pocket watch and chain belonging to Tilly's Great-Great-Uncle Fred, which her mum wore as a necklace throughout Tilly's childhood. Years later, Tilly returned to that familiar shape, with a little extra inspiration from her own adventures near and far, to create our first T-Bar necklace.
That first design was a small gold T-Bar on a belcher chain, and since then, we've made them in every size, finish and metal; we've put them on fine chains and chunky links, mixed gold with silver, added enamel and stones and taken the T-Bar beyond necklaces altogether, placing it on earrings, bracelets and anklets.
“Tilly Sveaas is the brand that brought the T-bar back before anyone else was paying attention.” – COSMOPOLITAN
Meet the T-Bar collection
Since that very first T-Bar, we've kept taking inspiration from the past, for pieces that can be worn every day, your way. Today there are five sizes to choose from, each with a slightly different feel depending on how you like to wear your jewellery. Designed to be worn with everything else in your jewellery box, find out more about each style...
Tiny T-Bar
Meet Tiny; the smallest T-Bar we've ever made.
We've taken that familiar shape we know works, and brought the proportions right down, making it easy to wear every day. There's still enough of the original detail to stay true to Tilly's inspiration, but now it can sit delicately on a finer chain or among the necklaces you already wear.
And for the first time, we've taken our signature T-Bar onto a ring. Wear it alongside your meaningful favourites or let it have its own moment.
Small T-Bar
The Small T-Bar is where the story first began, with our original design pairing it with a gold belcher chain.
It's still one of those pieces that's incredibly easy to live in, with enough weight to be noticed, and it goes with almost every outfit in your wardrobe. Add other necklaces, mix your metals or leave it to shine solo.
Medium T-Bar
Our Medium-sized T-Bar makes more of a statement.
You'll find it on one of our more substantial chains, but we also love the contrast of a Medium T-Bar against something more dainty. It doesn't have to be a case of bigger T-Bar, bigger chain; sometimes the contrast between the two is what makes the necklace uniquely yours.
Giant T-Bar
This is the one we reach for when the necklace is the main event: over a white T-shirt, sitting at the collar of a shirt, or worn over a chunky knit. You can layer around it, of course, but it's a bold enough statement to gain attention on its own.
“Chunky chains and T-bar pendants will always be the height of modern, minimalist cool – and Tilly Sveaas does them best.” – ELLE
Your chain wardrobe
Two identical T-Bars can look completely different once you change what they're hanging from. We use everything from fine trace chains to substantial curb links, and no chain belongs to one T-Bar forever. Scale helps, but we also like a bit of contrast – so you can swap between styles and change your chains up from one season to the next.
Gold, silver, mixed metal and more
The T-Bar might be our signature style, but changing the finish can make it feel like a completely different piece of jewellery. Mix, match, stack or style solo; the choice is yours.
On bracelets and earrings
The T-Bar fastening is a detail in its own right, whether worn on the wrist or at the ears. Our T-Bar bracelets come in a range of chain weights, in gold, silver and mixed-metal combinations, and look just as good worn alone as they do layered with an heirloom watch, a chunky bangle or other favourite Tilly Sveaas pieces.
Our T-Bar earrings take the same signature shape and make it smaller and more subtle, perfect for repeating the detail alongside a T-Bar necklace or letting them stand out with a bare neck and an updo.
How we style our T-Bars
We think a classic T-shirt and a good T-Bar will take you a very long way.With a Giant or a heavier chain, we'd usually put the necklace on and see what else it actually needs before adding anything more. The same goes for knitwear. Wearing the necklace over the top gives chunkier links and larger T-Bars room to be seen, rather than losing them beneath the neckline.
An open white shirt has always been good territory for jewellery.A shorter T-Bar can sit against bare skin inside the collar, while a longer or heavier necklace can go over the shirt itself. Simply roll the sleeves, add your usual bracelets and rings and leave it there.
We'd never suggest clearing your collection to make way for a T-Bar.Keep the fine chain you wear every day, the necklace you inherited or the one you bought years ago and add your T-Bar around it. Different lengths and weights give each piece space, and something old beside something new usually makes for a more interesting mix anyway. There's more on this in our [guide to layering necklaces], including how we keep several chains from becoming one enormous knot.
At our HQ, we don't save gold for gold days and silver for silver ones. A gold T-Bar can sit amongst silver chains, a silver one can break up gold, and a mixed-metal necklace can do a bit of both. Tilly generally lets silver lead and adds gold around it, but we'd use whatever is already in your jewellery box as the starting point.
Spotted: Tilly Sveaas T-Bars
Our jewellery has been worn by some of our style icons and muses since the first T-Bar launched in 2016. Taylor Swift has worn one of our gold T-Bar necklaces, and over the years Tilly Sveaas has also been worn by Sophie Turner, Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson and Rita Ora. You'll have spotted our jewellery closer to home too, on Maya Jama, Claudia Winkleman, Vick Hope, Stacey Dooley, Davina McCall, AJ Odudu and Cat Deeley, as well as Vogue Williams, Sophie Habboo and Iris Law.
Your most-asked T-Bar questions
A T-Bar necklace takes its name from the distinctive T-shaped bar, originally used to secure pocket watch chains. Today, that same shape has become a feature in its own right, sitting at the front of the necklace rather than being hidden away. Tilly first reimagined the design in 2016, with a small gold T-Bar on a belcher chain.
It depends on how you like to wear your jewellery. Our Tiny and Mini T-Bars are lovely for something finer, while Small and Medium give you a little more presence without feeling too heavy. If you love a statement necklace, consider our Giant T-Bar. Don't forget that the chain you choose can change how each size looks, too.
We love ours with the simplest things in our wardrobes: a white T-shirt, an open shirt or a favourite knit. A chunkier T-Bar can hold its own, while smaller styles work beautifully alongside necklaces you already wear. Mix different lengths, chain weights and metals until you find a combination that feels like you.
Absolutely. Our T-Bars are designed to be worn and loved, whether that's one favourite necklace you reach for every morning or a different combination depending on what you're wearing. Just remember to follow the care advice for your particular metal and finish to keep it looking its best.
The T-Bar fastening has its roots in traditional pocket watch chains, long before it became a contemporary jewellery favourite. Tilly's own inspiration came from her Great-Great-Uncle Fred's gold pocket watch and chain, which her mum wore as a necklace throughout her childhood. She introduced her first T-Bar necklace in 2016, and we've been adding to the collection ever since.
Find your T-Bar
The first Tilly Sveaas T-Bar was a small gold one on a belcher chain. Ten years on, there's a full collection to choose from.
You can go Tiny or Giant, stick with the original Small, choose silver instead of gold or wear both together. There are fine chains, chunky links, watch chains and leather, plus T-Bars that have made their way onto lariats, bracelets and earrings.
The original was inspired by a piece that had already been worn and loved for years, so we rather like the idea of ours ending up the same way.