Updated Jan 20, 2026: New findings on safety and trade secrets disclosures.
If you are looking to find the right chew necklace for you but feel overwhelmed not knowing what to choose, this could be a helpful guide to help you find the right chewelry for you.
I am Ashley Lauren Spencer, the owner of The Autistic Innovator, and I have personally tested every chew necklace on this list. I am both a moderate and hard chewer, so I put the necklaces through rigorous testing to see how well they could meet all chew stimming needs.
No matter what type of chewer you are, this collection has a necklace for you.
Important Chew Necklace Safety Note:
Before we begin, I want to give you a safety warning, so you know what types of chew necklaces to avoid.
Not all chew necklaces, chewelry, and handheld chews are are created equal, and some have a great safety risk with a high risk for choking, and I want to make sure you know what types of chewelry to avoid so you stay safe.
Beaded Chew Necklaces & Chewelry:
The silicone beads that make up a beaded chew necklace (also known as beaded chewelry) are actually baby teething beads, and are NOT meant for chewing.
Baby teethers are much softer to be gentle on baby gums, but an adult and older kid has a much stronger jaw and these silicone teethers will break extremely fast under pressure.
The beads are a high risk for splitting in half, falling off the necklace string, and causing choking, and choking can lead to bad things I don't want happening to you. You must stay safe.
These silicone baby teething beads are dangerous for babies too.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warned the FDA found teething beads pose significant danger to infants and toddlers.
If these beads aren't even safe for the babies they were created for, they are most definitely not safe for you!
The clasps on the necklace strings can break and the beads can lead to many lead choking hazards while you are chewing.
If someone is alone chewing on the silicone beads and chokes, the end result would be tragic and entirely preventable.
Stay away from these types of necklaces, and do not give them to babies, children, teenagers, and adults. It is a significant risk to your life. Stay safe!
Beaded Chew Necklaces and Beaded Chewelry may look pretty and look like a regular necklace, but it is not safe for you at all.
The silicone beaded chew necklaces and beaded chewelry look like this:
Hollow Chew Pendants and Hollow Handheld Stick Chews:
Any type of chew that is hollow inside is extremely unsafe.
There is no resistance in the middle, and the hollow pendant and hollow handheld chew will break extremely quickly creating a high risk for choking.
When biting down hard on a hollow chew, the chunks, pieces, and silicone flakes that break off are a significant risk to your safety.
If you are chewing a chew pendant or handheld chew, and flakes of silicone start coming off the pendant and handheld chew, or it starts cracking, immediately stop chewing it and throw it away.
It is incredibly important that you stay safe.
Hollow sticks, hollow handheld chews, and hollow pendants will look like this in the middle.
Fabric Chew Necklaces & Chewelry:
When I learned these braided fabric chew necklaces and fabric chewelry existed, I was shocked something so dangerous would be sold as a chewing necklace, especially because these dangerous fabric chews are often sold as chewing necklaces for autism.
Fabric easily shreds, especially under the the strength of a human bite force, and this will quickly cause shreds of string and fabric to come off while chewing. This is a massive choking hazard, because the fibers could be breathed in accidentally and get stuck in the throat.
These Fabric Chews are also unsanitary. With silicone chew pendants, you can easily clean and dry it because it's water repellent, but with fabric, if it gets wet it will mildew quickly. Fabric chews can also quickly become a cesspool of bacteria.
If a chew product does not explicitly say it's made with 100% silicone, do not chew on it! Silicone is the only safe material to chew.
Proper chew products need to be larger and solid silicone. When something is pure silicone, it will have a more rigid structure to provide enough resistance for a chewer's bite strength force. Even if a pendant is thin and flexible (like the Leaf Chew Necklace & my proprietary Heart Chew Necklace), there is still the strength of silicone resistance when chewing on the pendant.
So please, for your own safety and wellbeing, do not chew on hollow handheld chews, hollow chew pendants, beaded chew necklaces & chewelry, fabric chew necklaces, and any other chew product not made with 100% silicone.
Why My Age Warning Is Crucial:
My Personal Safety Testing Commitment:
I have personally tested and chewed on every chew necklace in this collection. This hands-on testing enables me to give you a precise account of the chew feel and resistance, ensuring I only offer products of the highest quality.
As an autistic person, I don't just listen to the community; I live in it. My safety standards aren't inspired by others. They are built from my own sensory needs and the physics-based importance of protecting everyone in our community.
Legal Disclaimer:
I do not have the legal right to claim safety, how indestructible it is, or suggest it as a sensory treatment, because all chew products need to be clinically tested in order for me to be able to claim a chew is safe.
I want you to get a full education in this article.
My Experience:
I can tell you my personal experiences thoroughly testing these chew necklaces.
All of the chew necklaces in this collection, including the Heart Chew Necklace I designed specifically for hard chewers, went through hours of my hard chewing so I'd know exactly how durable the necklace is, and what type of person the chew necklace is good for.
Transparency in Sourcing & Quality:
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Quality Manufacturing: All my chew necklaces available in this collection, except for my Heart Chew Necklace, were designed by high-quality silicone manufacturers in China. The companies I partner with have very high safety standards and the specialized facilities needed to produce high-quality chew necklaces and chewelry.
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The China Difference: Many people automatically view products from China as unsafe, but China is precisely where the highest quality, most specialized silicone manufacturing for chew necklaces is currently done.
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My Heart Chew Necklace: My 'Heart Chew Necklace' was designed by me and manufactured in China using extremely strict safety standards. The final product is amazing, and I am very proud to put The Autistic Innovator name on it.
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My Goal: My point of disclosing this is to give you full awareness of the products and demonstrate my dedication to your wellbeing through complete honesty.
The Truth About Durability and Structural Design:
There is no such thing as a blanket 'safe chew necklace' for everyone. What chew necklace and handheld chew may be safe for a medium or light chewer, that same chew can become a dangerous choking hazard to a hard chewer.
Good quality silicone matters, but the structural design of the chew matters more. Silicone can only last so long, so it all will wear down eventually, but the structural differences of each chew pendant is entirely what changes whether it can only handle a light chewer, withstand medium chewing, or last as long as possible for a hard chewer.
It is possible for silicone chew necklaces to withstand extreme chewers if the chew pendant has the right structure. My proprietary Heart Chew Necklace I personally designed, has gone through an extreme stress test by someone who is among the hardest of chewers, and after 3 days of brutal testing, the pendant looked like it was never chewed on. No signs of wear.
So keep the chew necklace structural integrity in mind when looking for a chew necklace that could be safer for you or your child 6+ years old.
For more information on the Structural Differences in Chew Necklace and how to identify durability yourself, check out the Chew Necklace Structural Safety Guide.
The Truth About Chew Necklace & Chewelry Care
While many say chew necklaces are top-rack dishwasher safe, my Material Integrity Audits show this is a dangerous marketing myth.
Dishwashers use extreme heat and abrasive detergents that lead to Material Fatigue. This process creates invisible micro-cracks in the silicone, destroying the Structural Integrity of the pendant. A chew that has been through the dishwasher may look clean, but its Bite-Force Resistance has been compromised. For a heavy chewer, this makes the tool brittle and prone to crumbling, which creates an immediate choking hazard.
The Gold Standard for Cleaning: To protect the life of your Chewelry & Chew Necklaces and ensure your safety, only hand-wash with mild soap and warm water. This preserves the silicone's natural flexibility and ensures it remains solid and safe for high-intensity use. Avoid using harsh soaps, and opt for mild soaps only, or you can end up with a mouth full of soap residue. Silicone is water resistant, so even just rinsing your chew with clean water and dry with a clean towel can work as well.
The Truth About Chew Necklace Manufacturing:
When I began looking for a reliable manufacturer to make my Heart Chew Necklace design, I first searched for a chew necklace manufacturer in the United States.
What I uncovered at the time was the United States only had 7 silicone manufacturers. One imported their silicone from Germany, so out of the 6 that make their silicone in the United States, all but one only manufacture silicone for machine and auto parts. One manufacturer makes silicone for medical devices. I found chew necklace silicone is not made in the United States, so I looked for a manufacturer in China.
In order to produce silicone chew necklaces, it requires specialized manufacturing facilities that only China has. Chew necklaces are produced with injection molding, and requires stainless steel molds, high pressure, and extreme heat to get the silicone to form a chew necklace pendant.
This makes the silicone is solid all the way through. If an autistic and neurodivergent adult, teen, or 6+ years old child bites it with full force, the material is designed to resist tear.
The China facilities that produce chew pendants must remain sterile to keep the silicone clean and pure when making chew products.
It is impossible for chew products to be handmade and handcrafted.
China has been perfecting the art of manufacturing chew necklaces for decades.
The necklace strings used on all chew necklaces are also only manufactured in China.
When manufacturing the Heart Chew Necklace I designed, I was insistent the necklace string must be adjustable. It was difficult to source adjustable strings, but the manufacturer made it happen.
Let's get into the chew necklaces now...
What are your chew stimming needs?
Everyone has different stimming needs with chewing. You could chew hard, medium, or light.
Hard chewers need durability and longevity in their chew necklaces. You might bite down hard on objects you use to chew stim with and can wear down the objects quicker. There are necklaces in this collection that can withstand hard chewers stimming needs.
Some light chewers like to bite down more softly and might have sensitive teeth. Chew necklaces that are thinner and slightly flexible could be a good fit for you.
Moderate chewers are in the middle of hard and light chewers. You might prefer both bendable chew necklace pendants that are softer to bite down on while also chewing and biting down hard sometimes too. It might take you longer to wear down your chew necklaces.
We will review all chew stim necklaces in the collection to help you find the right one, all available here in The Autistic Innovator.
Which Chew Necklace is Right for You?
Heart Chew Necklace by The Autistic Innovator
The proprietary Heart Chew Necklace is an exclusive chew necklace only available in The Autistic Innovator.
Every part of this chew necklace was personally engineered by me, the owner of this store.
There is a large gap in our autistic and neurodivergent community where the hardest of chewers are chewing through everything very fast and can't find anything that can last long enough to provide sensory relief.
I did my absolute best to design a chew necklace for hard chewers with those needs.
The texture is raised, thicker, and durable to both give a satisfying texture and keep the chew necklace from wearing down with hours of chewing.
Silicone can only be so strong, and I cannot make indestructible promises, but the design itself and high quality silicone are made to last as long as silicone chewelry can last.
With that said, I sent this Heart Chew Necklace to someone who is the hardest of chewers, and has a self-described, "jaw of a pitbull." I was able to do the hard chewing tests myself before selling this Heart Chew Necklace, but I don't have the level of jaw strength required for extreme stress testing. When she told me no chew pendant has withstood her chewing, I asked her if she would be willing to aggressively test this pendant with force to see how long it can last with the strongest bite force. She wrote a blog post about her experiences stress testing this Heart Chew Necklace. I did not request a blog post. I only wanted to make sure my personally engineered chew pendant could withstand the super hard chewers I designed it for. After 3 days of aggressive testing, the Heart Chew pendant looks like it was never chewed on.
It was made with love for hard and medium-hard chewers to provide a more comfortable alternative to traditional hard chewer necklaces that are usually much thicker and harder.
The Heart Chew utilizes flexible resistance, it bends during the bite cycle to redistribute pressure. This prevents the material from reaching its shearing point too quickly, which is why it outlasts rigid, hollow alternatives.
This heart pendant is thin and very flexible, so it bends while you bite and chew.
Shark Tooth Chew Necklace
The Shark Tooth Chew Necklace is one of the most popular chew necklaces. If you are a moderate chewer, this is a great chew necklace for you.
When holding the pendant with your hands, the necklace is slightly bendable at the corners and rigid in the middle.
Depending on how hard you chew, the Shark Tooth Chew Necklace may or may not bend while chewing. It’s got a more stiff feel, which is excellent for those who are moderate chewers.
The pendant is thinner and fits nicely between your teeth. The triangle shape makes the corners easily chewable from only one side of your mouth. It’s not wide enough to chew on with all of your teeth at once, but it's great for the side chewers.
Rating:
Best for Moderate Chewers
Teardrop Chew Necklace
The Teardrop Chew Necklace is perfect for sensitive teeth and light chewers.
It’s got a smooth, soft feel that’s easy to bite down on and doesn’t feel stiff when chewing on the pendant.
When biting down on the pendant, it feels cushiony. It’s still firm enough to be durable but is much more gentle on the teeth for those needing something softer.
This chew necklace is also great for those who like to chew with all their teeth at once. The pendant is a larger size, so it's perfect for that type of stim chewing.
There are no ridges or textured sides like most of the necklaces in this collection, making this an excellent fit for light chewers with sensitive teeth.
Hard chewers could wear down this pendant quickly with strong chewing.
Another plus is that it looks like a regular fashion necklace and is much more discreet.
Rating:
Best for Light to Moderate Chewers
Prism Pendant Chew Necklace
The Prism Pendant Chew Necklace is exceptionally durable.
I spent five to six hours a day, two days in a row chewing nonstop on this pendant, and it withstood all my moderately-light chewing. Not a single scratch or dent on it, and it did not break.
It’s a thin and long pendant, so it fits nicely between your teeth without having to open your jaw so much.
The pendant has a stiff and more rigid feel, but this helps it be more durable for a medium moderate chewer.
Hard chewers and super hard chewers will tear through this pendant quick because it's thin, narrow design cannot survive a hard chewer.
Structurally its thin size makes it easier for a hard chewer to chew through it. But for a light and medium-light chewer, it's thin size provides a pleasant, comfortable chewing experience.
Rating:
Best for Light to Medium-light chewers
Textured Prism Chew Necklace
This Textured Prism Chew Necklace is one of my favorites.
It’s barely flexible and has a stiff feel with your hands, but biting down hard on the pendant is like chewing on a squishy pillow. Even if you lightly chew on it, the pendant gives a light squishy feel.
There are lightly textured bumps on the bottom half of the pendant where you chew, so I wouldn’t recommend this one for sensitive teeth.
The Textured Prism Chew Necklace is a winner for light to hard chewers. I rate this perfect for every type of chewer.
Rating:
Best for Light to Medium Chewers
Leaf Chew Necklace
This Leaf Chew Necklace is perfect for light chewers.
It's very thin and the veiny texture on the leaf pendant provides a satisfying texture to chew on.
It's also very flexible and bends when you chew on it lightly.
The Leaf pendant might not be right for a medium chewer, but it is perfect for someone who needs a very thin and flexible chew pendant to bite down on.
Rating:
Perfect for Light Chewers
Donut Chew Necklace
This Donut Chew Necklace has a nice squishy feeling the harder you bite down.
It is durable enough for a medium-hard chewer's needs.
Medium chewers can also find this Donut Chew Necklace very satisfying to spend hours chewing on.
Hard chewers could find this necklace durable enough for them too!\
Rating:
Good for medium to medium-hard chewers
Mini Prism Chew Necklace
This Mini Prism Chew Necklace is perfect for chewers who need a small pendant, especially for those with smaller mouths.
While this store was designed for adults, this chew necklace is good for kids too. Just make sure they are older than 5 years old, because chew necklaces are a choking hazard for the little ones.
The Mini Prism pendant is about half the length of the regular Prism Pendant Chew Necklace mentioned earlier.
It's also durable and good for medium chewers.
If light chewers don't mind a firmer pendant, it could be good for light chewing due to it's smaller size.
Rating:
Good for Light-Medium Chewers to Medium Chewers
Protractor Chew Necklace
The Protractor Chew Necklace is a larger pendant, firm, and durable enough for medium chewing.
Math lovers, especially, can find this math-themed chew pendant to be extra satisfying.
It's larger width makes it good for chewing on with your whole mouth at once.
This one-of-a-kind chew pendant is perfect for medium chewers.
Rating:
Good for medium chewers
Block Pendant Chew Necklace
This Block Pendant Chew Necklace is great for medium and medium-hard chewers.
Since it's not a bulky size, it is comfortable to chew, and both the top and bottom have a satisfying texture.
Rating:
Best for Medium & Medium-Hard Chewers
Bar Pendant Chew Necklace
This Bar Pendant Chew Necklace is great for hard chewers.
It's a thicker pendant with a slight bend, so if you like a lot of resistance when you chew hard, this could be a great fit for you.
Rating:
Best for Hard Chewers
Feather Chew Necklace
This Feather Chew Necklace is great for medium and light chewers.
The texture is indented, so it gives a more subtle texture to chew on.
At the bottom of the feather it has a very thin and flexible feel, and the pendant gradually gets thicker as you chew from the bottom to the top of the pendant.
Rating:
Best for Light & Medium Chewers
Dog Tag Chew Necklace
This Dog Tag Chew Necklace has a satisfying resistance and firmness.
It is also a thin pendant for comfortability.
Since the dog tag is a popular style of chew necklace, this one could be a more discreet option.
The Dog Tag Chew Necklace best for medium chewers.
I wouldn't recommend this for hard chewers. When I tested what chew strength it was for, my very hard chewing test did not leave it in great shape, but when chewing medium strength first it withstood that quite easily.
Rating:
Best for Medium Chewers
Textured Pendant Chew Necklace
This Textured Pendant Chew Necklace is great for medium and medium-hard chewers.
The raised texture bumps make it more durable and last longer.
It's also a satisfying texture to chew.
Rating:
Best for Medium & Medium-Hard Chewers
Conclusion
When you are new to the world of chew necklaces, it can feel overwhelming not knowing which one would be best for you.
If you don’t know what kind of chewer you are, I recommend starting with a necklace made for moderate chewers.
Starting with a moderate chew necklace can help you determine whether you prefer softer and more flexible necklaces or heavy-duty pendants made for hard chewers.
The Textured Prism Chew Necklace is perfect for those in chew stim self-discovery. It’s got a squishy feeling the harder you bite down, which is very satisfying to chew on.
I hope this in-depth review guide to the chew necklaces in my store helps you choose the right chew necklace for you.