Necklace length is measured as the full circumference of the chain, clasp included, not from the back of the neck down. That is why an 18-inch necklace does not hang 18 inches. Here is where each length actually sits.
The standard lengths
| Length | Name | Where it sits |
| 14" | Collar | Tight around the base of the neck. Mostly worn by children or as a choker on a very slim neck |
| 16" | Choker | At the base of the neck, on the collarbone |
| 18" | Princess | Just below the collarbone. The default length, and the one most pendants are designed for |
| 20-22" | Matinee | A few inches below the collarbone, at the top of the chest |
| 24" | Matinee long | Mid-chest, roughly at bust level |
| 30"+ | Opera / rope | Below the bust. Can be doubled to make a two-strand 15" |
Measure it in thirty seconds
Take a piece of string, put it round your neck and adjust it until it hangs where you want the pendant to sit. Mark it, take it off, lay it flat and measure. That number is your length. Do this before buying rather than after: returning a chain is more annoying than measuring.
If you are buying for someone else, look at a necklace they already wear and measure that instead.
Choosing by neckline
The rule is that the necklace should sit above or below the neckline, never on it, because a chain resting exactly on a hem looks like a mistake.
- Crew neck and high neck: 20 inches or longer, so the pendant clears the fabric
- V-neck: 18 inches, following the line of the V, or a pendant that sits inside it
- Scoop and boat neck: 16 to 18 inches
- Collared shirt: 16 inches worn under the collar, or 22 and over the top
- Strapless: 16 to 18 inches, where there is nothing to compete with
Men's lengths
Men's chains run longer as standard: 18 inches sits at the base of the throat, 20 inches at the collarbone, 22 inches just below it and 24 inches at the sternum, which is the usual choice for a pendant worn over a t-shirt. Under a shirt, 20 inches is the safe default.
Two things people get wrong
Heavy pendants need shorter chains. A heavy pendant on a long chain swings, catches on things and drags the clasp round to the front all day. If the pendant is substantial, go 18 inches rather than 22.
The chain type changes how it hangs. A snake or box chain hangs straight and holds a pendant flat. A cable or rope chain of the same length twists more and sits slightly higher. If a pendant keeps flipping over, the chain is usually the problem, not the length. A solid 1 mm sterling silver snake chain is the safest choice under a pendant that will not sit flat.
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If the length is nearly right
An inch or two either way does not need a new necklace. A short extender clipped to the clasp adds one to three inches, and going the other way you can shorten a chain at home in ten minutes: how to shorten a necklace chain without cutting it.
And if the pendant will not go on the chain at all, that is a different fix: pendant hole too small for the chain.
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