Stim jewellery for adults: spinner rings, chew necklaces and bangles

What to look for in stim jewellery

Good stim jewellery gives your hands or mouth the movement they want while looking like something you would wear anyway. Check these things.

• The movement you want. Spin: a spinner ring or a spinning pendant. Chew: a chewable pendant or bangle. Roll and press: spiky finger rings. Squeeze: a flexible bangle does double duty.
• Material. The spinner ring and the CERGISE pendant are 925 sterling silver, which means 92.5% silver. Chewigem's pendant and bangle are made to be chewed: the Infinity is described as flexible and the Bonnie as flexible and squeezable.
• Size and fit. Rings come in sizes, so measure a ring you already wear. The Infinity pendant is 7cm long. The Bonnie comes in an adult size.
• How discreet it is. A spinner ring under the table and a plain bangle on the wrist draw less attention than a bright chew necklace. Chewigem says the Bonnie was designed with discretion at the heart of it.
• Hallmark, for silver. In the UK, silver items over 7.78g must carry a hallmark to be described as silver. A wide spinner ring can be heavy enough to need one, so ask for the weight or look for the mark.

Spinner, chew or texture: which suits you?

Match the jewellery to what you already do with your hands and mouth.

• If you twist rings, pens or hair: a spinner ring. You get the same turning motion with nothing to drop. The sterling silver ring here has a wide two-tone band that spins; the CERGISE pendant does the same on a necklace, if rings get in the way at work.
• If you chew sleeves, pens or collars: a chewable pendant or bangle. Chewigem designed the Infinity so it reaches the back teeth, which it says ordinary pendants often do not. The Bonnie sits on the wrist and comes up to your mouth without anyone noticing a necklace.
• If you press, roll or pick: spiky rings. They roll up and down a finger and are cheap enough to keep in every pocket.

Many people end up with two: something to spin and something to chew.

Can adults wear chew necklaces at work?

Yes, and there are pieces made so nobody else needs to know.

The Bonnie Bangle was one of Chewigem's first designs, from 2011, and the company says discretion was at the heart of it: it reads as a plain glossy bangle. The Infinity pendant looks like a pendant on a cord. If you are self-conscious in meetings, a spinner ring is the least visible option of all, since it sits on your hand under the table.

Keep a spare chewable at home. They wear, and a torn one is one you should stop using.

Is stim jewellery safe?

Mostly, with three things to watch: chewables wear out, small pieces are a choking hazard for children, and magnetic jewellery is a swallowing risk.

• Chewables. Check the surface before you use it. Once a chew piece tears or a bit could come away, replace it.
• Small parts. Spiky rings and small pendants are choking hazards for young children. Keep them out of reach.
• Magnets. Some fidget jewellery uses small magnets. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) says to keep products with small magnets away from small children and, if you think a child has swallowed a magnet, to go straight to A&E or call 999. GOV.UK warns that swallowed magnets can be pulled together inside the intestines. None of the picks here are magnetic.

How do you look after stim jewellery?

Keep silver dry and polished, and keep chewables clean and checked.

Sterling silver tarnishes over time, and a spinner ring gets turned thousands of times, so dirt can build up in the gap between the bands. A silver polishing cloth brings the colour back, and a soft brush and warm soapy water clear the gap. Take the ring off for washing up and swimming, when soap and chlorine speed up tarnish.

Chewables go in your mouth, so rinse them in warm soapy water often and let them dry before wearing. Store them somewhere clean, not loose in the bottom of a bag. Every time you clean one, look at it closely: that is when you will spot a tear before it becomes a loose piece.

Things to know

• The hallmark rule. The Edinburgh Assay Office confirms silver items under 7.78g do not need a hallmark to be sold as silver; heavier ones described as silver must be hallmarked.
• What we could not verify. The spinner ring listing did not give a weight or mention a hallmark, and the CERGISE listing did not show chain length or clasp type when we checked. Chewigem's product pages did not list material details or age guidance for these pieces, and its safety page was not available when we looked.
• Adult sizes. The picks here are sized for adults and teens. For children, supervise.
• We have not tested these. Descriptions are from the makers' pages and the Amazon listings named above.