The Silver Sphere Gold Accent DNA Necklace: Two Metals Framing One Profile

The silver and gold DNA necklace at the top of our sphere range is the Silver Sphere Gold Accent DNA Profile Necklace. Silver runs through the body of it and gold sits at the edge of every stone. Then a 9ct gold clasp finishes it. People sometimes ask what the gold is doing, and whether it carries part of the profile. It does not. The gold frames the stones that do. So this post walks along the strand, part by part. It explains where the identity lives and where the warmth comes from.

The silver spheres hold the spaces

First, the run of the necklace is polished 5mm spheres in 925 hallmarked sterling silver. Sterling silver is 92.5 percent silver. Because the Hallmarking Act 1973 requires a hallmark on silver above set weights, the metal carries its mark. The spheres hold the spaces between the markers. On a DesigNA piece the spaces matter as much as the stones. After all, the gap between two stones is a run of base pairs. A longer gap means a bigger jump in fragment size.

The same spheres also carry the Silver Sphere DNA Profile Necklace, £259, which is the plain silver version of this piece. Our post on hallmarked silver and gold explains the marks on both.

The stones carry the profile

Between the spheres sit the stones, 4mm, one for each value the laboratory reads. The laboratory reads 23 Short Tandem Repeat markers from a cheek swab, with two values per marker. It tags them in five fluorescent dyes so the machine can tell them apart. Each dye then has its own stone. Lapis lazuli for blue, garnet for red, citrine for yellow, amethyst for purple and amazonite for green. The stones sit along the strand by fragment size, from smallest to largest.

Because the kit fixes the markers, the strand almost always opens with D2S441 in citrine. It always closes with Penta D in amethyst at the clasp end. Everything between belongs to the wearer. Read why the last stone is always amethyst for the reasoning.

The gold accents frame each stone

Here is the part that makes the piece. A gold filled accent sits either side of every stone, where the plain silver necklace has a silver spacer. Gold filled means a thick layer of gold bonded to a base metal core, far thicker than plating. So it holds up against skin all day. The accents do not carry data. Instead, they frame the stones that do. As a result, every marker sits in its own small pool of warm light between the cool silver.

The effect is subtle at arm's length and obvious up close. A silver and gold pattern piece replaces the stones with gold. By contrast, this piece keeps every stone and adds gold around it. If you want colour and warmth together, this is the one. For the plain version, see the Silver Sphere DNA Profile Necklace.

The 9ct gold clasp

Finally, the necklace closes with a 9ct hallmarked gold clasp, the only sphere necklace in the range to do so. A gold filled extender chain ends in a small stamped disc. Also, the oval DesigNA tag hangs at the clasp end in gold. As on every DesigNA piece, there is one clasp and one extender, never two. Because the strand runs from the extender towards the clasp, Penta D's amethyst sits right beside that gold clasp. In short, the clasp end carries the last marker, the gold and the tag together.

Wearing a silver and gold DNA necklace with other pieces

A mixed metal piece settles the old question of whether to wear silver or gold. In short, it goes with both. For example, it layers with a plain gold chain or a silver one. It also sits comfortably beside a watch in either metal. Our post on mixed metal layering shows how. For care, warm water and a soft cloth are enough, with no ultrasonic cleaners. Store it flat in the box.

The Silver Sphere Gold Accent DNA Profile Necklace, £299

The Silver Sphere Gold Accent DNA Profile Necklace is £299, the top of the sphere range. Choose 16, 18 or 20 inches, each with a 2 inch extender. It arrives in the matte black DesigNA box with the certificate on top. Because the certificate lists every marker, value and fragment size, you can match each stone to its line.

The kit arrives in 2 to 3 working days. The wearer takes their own cheek swab at home and posts it back in the prepaid envelope. Then the necklace takes 2 to 3 weeks from the day the laboratory has the swab. Free UK tracked delivery covers both. For Christmas, order by Sunday 15 November 2026.

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