A chain that sits too low is the most common reason a necklace stays in the drawer. The good news is that shortening one is a ten-minute job you can do at the kitchen table, and in most cases you do not have to cut anything.
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First, decide how much shorter you actually want it
Put the necklace on, pinch the chain at the back until the pendant sits where you want it, and hold that spot. Take it off without letting go and measure the loop you are holding. That measurement, doubled, is what you need to remove. People almost always guess too much: two inches is a lot on a necklace.
For reference, the standard lengths are 16 inches (choker, sits at the base of the neck), 18 inches (the most common, sits just below the collarbone), 20 to 24 inches (sits on the chest, common for pendants).
Method 1: move the clasp, no cutting
This is the one to try first, because it is reversible and costs nothing.
Open the jump ring that holds the clasp by twisting it sideways, never by pulling the ends apart. Slide it off the end link. Now count along the chain to the link where you want the new end to be, and attach the clasp there instead. The excess chain hangs loose behind the clasp, which on a fine chain is invisible under a collar.
If you dislike the loose tail, tuck it through the clasp before closing it so it doubles back on itself.
Method 2: a chain extender used backwards
Extenders are sold to make chains longer, but a short one clipped between the clasp and a link partway down the chain does the opposite: it bypasses the excess. It costs a few dollars and requires no tools at all. An assortment of jump rings and extenders in silver and gold covers most chains; match the metal tone or the join will show.
Method 3: remove links properly
If you want a clean result with no tail, you remove links and reattach the clasp to the new end.
You need two pairs of flat-nose pliers. Open the jump ring at the clasp, remove the clasp, then open the link at the point where you want the chain to end and separate it. Reattach the clasp to that link and close everything by twisting the ends back until they meet flush.
Two mistakes to avoid. Do not use serrated pliers: the teeth score soft metals like sterling silver and gold plate, and the marks do not polish out. And do not pull jump rings open sideways in a straight line, because they never close round again. A two-piece chain-nose and flat-nose set with smooth jaws is about eight dollars and is all this job needs.
When you should not do it yourself
Solid gold, anything with a hallmark you care about, and pearl or bead strands knotted between each bead. Knotted strands have to be restrung, which is a different job. A jeweller will shorten a gold chain for roughly twenty to forty dollars, which is worth it on a piece you would be upset to damage. Prices are approximate and were correct at the time of writing.
What about chains that are too thick for the pendant?
Different problem, same toolbox. If the ring on the chain will not pass through the pendant hole, we wrote a step-by-step fix with photos here: pendant hole too small for the chain.
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