Most necklaces are returned for length, not for looks. Here is how to get it right the first time.
The lengths, and where they land
- 40 cm sits at the base of the throat. Sharp with a crew neck, a turtleneck or a blazer. It is the length that reads as deliberate.
- 45 cm sits just below the collarbone. This is the safest length in Australia and the one we make adjustable, because it works with almost every neckline.
- 50 cm sits at the top of the chest, below a shirt collar. Good for layering under a shorter chain.
- 55 to 60 cm sits on the sternum. It suits a V neck or an open shirt, and it is where a longer pendant belongs.
If you are buying a gift and do not know
Choose 45 cm adjustable. Every HerMoment chain adjusts between 40 and 45 cm, which covers the two most worn lengths without a conversation. It is the single most useful thing about our chains and it exists precisely because gift buyers cannot ask.
Matching the neckline
The rule that actually works: the pendant should sit above the neckline, not disappear into it. A crew neck needs 40 cm. A V neck can take 50 cm and up, and looks best when the pendant follows the point of the V. A high neck can carry anything long.
Layering without the tangle
Leave at least 5 cm between layers, so 40 and 45 will fight and 40 and 50 will not. Put the heavier pendant on the longer chain. If two chains twist constantly, the fix is a different clasp weight rather than a different length.
Height and build
Length is measured on the chain, not on the person, so the same 45 cm chain sits higher on a shorter neck. If she is petite, 40 to 45 cm flatters. If she is tall or broader through the shoulders, 50 cm reads better than 45.
How to measure what she already owns
Lay her favourite necklace flat, run a tape from clasp to clasp including the extender, and buy that. It is more reliable than any guess, and it takes thirty seconds while she is in the shower.
See our full length chart, or browse the necklaces. Every one arrives on an adjustable chain.
