Chains are among the most simple and ancient forms of jewelry. But designers are using them in elaborate and modern ways this season.

Designs run the gamut — from delicate dangling gold earrings to bold bib-style necklaces — composed of dozens of strands of chains. The newest necklaces are mixtures of gold and silver, shiny and matte metals, often dressed up with crystals, charms, stones and pearls.

The idea is to mix it up. And not worry about any rules your mother might have told you about how to wear jewelry.

Accessory trends parallel what’s happening in fashion, which is why chains are so popular now. The return of hard-edged 1980s styles made a focus on chains inevitable, says Ken Downing, fashion director at Neiman Marcus in Denver.

“Many designers were looking for a way to give an urban and aggressive look to what they created this season,” Downing said. The 1980s influence was evident from such designers as Michael Kors, who showed industrial-strength chain-link chokers with clothing pieces like a black leather dress.

Chains come as built-in embellishment on shirts and jackets from such designers as Tory Burch as well as for decorating belts, boots, shoes and handbags.

Matte-finished metals; mixtures of black, silver and hematite; and different chain textures are often combined in a single piece. The shades of gray that are so prevalent in fall clothing look good with silver and smoky or topaz-colored stones, Downing said.

“You tend to think of mixing cool colors with cool metals, but you can also mix them with a warm metal like gold in matte and shiny tones,” he said.

Casey Rosen, co-owner of Blush boutique in Denver’s Cherry Creek North, says she has been carrying fashion-forward chain jewelry from such designers as T.Cyia and Anna Bee for several seasons. T.Cyia mixes ropes of chains with crystals and ribbons, while Anna Bee remixes vintage jewelry in its one-of-a-kind pieces.

Women will pay $200-$400 for a statement-making necklace, Rosen says, because “you can put it on with a T-shirt and look like you’re dressed. You get a lot of bang for your buck.”

Linda Christie-Horn was wearing a T.Cyia piece on a recent afternoon, using it to accessorize her chiffon blouse and jeans. “I like the mix of metals,” she said of the nine strands of silver, gold and brass combined in her necklace.

Such designer items might become collectibles, but women who want to spend less money and flirt with the trend won’t have any problem finding affordable options.

There’s a soft, feminine side to the chain trend as well, and observers of fashion history are quick to point to the late Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel as the reason.

First, she used chains as a tailoring device, sewing them into the hems of jackets to add weight so they’d hang properly. Then chains made their way to her handbag handles and jewelry.

Chanel loved costume jewelry as well as fine jewelry and saw nothing wrong with piling fake pearls and gold chains on top of real ones.

“Chanel believed in the elaborate and exuberant use of accessories,” Downing said. When Karl Lagerfeld took over designing ready-to-wear and accessories for the brand in the 1980s, he helped revive the focus on pearls and chain belts, long rope necklaces and chain-handle bags.

Despite having been around for a while, the chain trend isn’t likely to dissolve anytime soon. “For spring, we’re seeing it in Lucite, or mixed with chiffon and organza,” Downing said. Alber Elbaz, designer for Lanvin, used gold chains to accent shoes.

Costume jewelry continues to be important, Downing says, “especially in a challenged economy. It’s a way to affordably update something from the past you’ve already got in your closet.”