Which chain length sits where on you

Standard lengths and where they fall

The names are jewelers' shorthand from the pearl trade and describe position, not length; a princess length on a broad neck is a matinee length on a slim one. That is the reason the guides that photograph three chains on one model cannot answer the question for you, and why the calculator asks for your neck first.

Length by length

14 inches

A collar. It touches the throat on most adult women and fits only slim necks under 13 inches with room to breathe. Sold mostly as chokers for teenagers and as the shortest layer in a stack.

16 inches

The choker length for a 14 to 15 inch neck: it sits at the base of the neck, above the collarbone, and shows above every neckline. Suits small pendants of an inch or less and open necklines; under a crew neck it disappears. On a 16 inch neck it becomes tight.

18 inches

The most common women's length and the one most pendants are sold on. On a 14 to 15 inch neck it rests on the collarbone, the spot where a pendant hangs flat and centered. With a crew or scoop neck it sits just above the fabric. On a man's 16 inch neck it behaves like a choker and is rarely worn.

20 inches

One step down: just below the collarbone in the hollow of the chest on women, on the collarbone on most men, which is why 20 is the shortest common men's length. Under a V-neck or an open collar it shows; under a crew neck it hides. The right length for a pendant that should sit on the chest rather than at the throat.

22 and 24 inches

Top of the chest on women, the everyday range for men: 22 just below the collarbone, 24 on the upper chest and under a shirt, which is why most men's pendants are sold on 24 inch chains. For women these are layering lengths and pendant lengths for deep necklines.

26 to 30 inches and beyond

Mid-chest to below the bust. Opera length, worn over clothing, doubled as a choker, or with a large pendant that needs room. For men, 26 to 30 is the length of a statement chain worn over a T-shirt. Above 36 inches is rope length, meant to be looped.

Measuring and choosing

Your neck

Wrap a soft tape or a strip of paper around the neck where a shirt collar sits, not up under the jaw, and read it in inches. Add about 2 inches for a choker that does not press, 4 inches to land on the collarbone, 6 to 8 for the upper chest, 12 or more to fall below the bust. Round to the nearest standard length; if you are between two, the longer one is easier to live with, and a jeweler can shorten a chain for a few dollars but cannot cheaply lengthen one.

A chain you already own

Better than measuring the neck: lay a chain that sits where you like it on a ruler, clasp to end, and buy that length. If it sits too high, add 2 inches; too low, subtract 2. Note that the pendant adds to the drop, so compare chains without pendants.

String

Drape a string around the neck to where you want the chain to fall, pinch it there and measure the loop. Less precise than the other two, because string sits differently from a chain of weight, but good enough to choose between 18 and 20.

Body frame and neckline

The same 18 inch chain sits higher on a broad neck and lower on a slim one, so build shifts the whole table by a step. Petite women with necks under 13 inches find 16 the collarbone length and 18 already on the chest; women with 15 inch necks are the model the standard table was drawn for; women with 16 inch necks and men in general should read the table one row down. Height matters less than neck size, but on a tall torso the same drop looks shorter, which is why tall people often prefer 20 where the table says 18.

Necklines decide what shows. Crew necks hide anything over 16 inches and want a short chain sitting above the fabric or a long one worn over it. V-necks frame an 18 to 20 that ends just above the point of the V. Scoop and boat necks take a 16 or 18 across the open skin. Collared shirts want 20 to 24 so the chain sits inside the open collar or tucks under it without the clasp riding up. Turtlenecks take a long chain over the fabric or nothing.

Pendants and chain weight

A pendant hangs below the chain by its own height plus the bail, so a 1 inch pendant on an 18 inch chain sits where a 20 inch chain would. Heavier pendants also pull a fine chain lower in front and tighter at the back of the neck; from about 10 grams of pendant, go up one length or up in chain weight. A chain narrower than 1.5 mm under a pendant heavier than a few grams will stretch its links within a year.

Layering, men, children

Layering

Keep 2 inches between chains so they do not tangle: 16, 18 and 20, or 18, 20 and 24 with the pendant on the longest. Mix one textured chain, such as a rope, with plain ones; two ropes twist around each other. Three chains is the practical maximum on one clasp side before the back of the neck becomes a knot.

Men

Men's necks are commonly 15 to 18 inches, so 20 and 22 do for men what 16 and 18 do for women, and 24 is the usual length for a pendant worn under a shirt. Over a T-shirt, 22 to 26 reads as a chain rather than a necklace. Slim builds carry 20 to 22; larger builds carry 24 to 26 without the chain riding up on the collar.

Children

Measure rather than guess; children's necks run 10 to 13 inches, so 12 to 14 inch chains are the norm. Prefer chains that break under a hard pull over ones that do not, and avoid anything worn during sleep or sport.

Questions people ask