A necklace is one nice piece of jewelry that can perfectly complement your dressing and make your style and outfit very appealing. However, one of the things that people tend to contend with all the time is trying to find out the right length or good length of a necklace.
There are no right or wrong answers to this but the right length of a necklace will depend on several factors whether it is a necklace length for women, men, boys or girls. These factors are the things that should be considered when selecting the kind of necklace you want to wear.
Necklace Length for Women
There are several types of necklaces designed especially for women and these necklaces all have different lengths. The right length of necklace for women will depend on the type of necklace they are wearing (or want to wear), their dress style, and sometimes the kind of event they are attending.
For instance, some dress styles are more fitting with long necklaces and other dress styles fit better with short length necklaces.
In addition, there are also custom made necklaces that can be designed in a specific length (whether long or short) to suit the desire of the buyer/owner. These kinds of necklaces can be used at your discretion depending on what you want to wear. The average necklace length for a woman is typically 16 or 18 inches.
Necklace Length for Men
Men have fewer varieties of necklaces and the length of these jewelry pieces are usually very long or short. The most common necklaces for men with long lengths are the hip hop necklaces [amazon] which are commonly designed as chain necklaces. They can be very long up to 36 inches or more in length.
There are also short designer necklaces for men which are nicely designed and appealing when worn with the right dress combination. The length of these short men’s necklaces can be as short as 15 or 16 inches and as long as 24 inches or a little more. The best chain length for a man depends entirely on preference and personal style.
Necklace Length for Kids
Another common challenge that parents often have is determining the right necklace length for kids. Yes, there are necklaces designed for kids too, whether they are 5 year olds, 6 year olds, 7 year olds or 10 year old kids. Parents are often confused about the best length that will be most appropriate for the age of the child.
The most important thing is
to ensure that the necklace is not out of proportion with the kid’s height. For instance, kids necklaces should be around the mid-chest to the upper chest area and should not be dangling low around below the chest and around the waist. It may become a choking or injury hazard for the child.
How to Measure the Length of a Necklace
Measuring the length of a necklace is very easy. When the necklace is unfastened, line it up straight against a ruler or yard stick.
The number it lines up with will indicate the necklace length. Jewelers and online sellers will often have a diagram that shows you where each length will fall on the average person. Take this with a grain of salt as the chain may fall to a different length depending on the width of the wearer’s neck.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Necklace Length
There are certain important factors that should be considered when buying a necklace or selecting the length of the necklace you have chosen. These factors are important in deciding the kind of necklace to buy and how you can dress with your necklace. Some of these factors include:
Fitting
Picking a necklace with a short length and fitting around the neck may be one of the preferred features in a necklace for people who prefer fitting dress styles. The short necklace does not dangle around the neck and may not even be noticeable. This style of wearing a necklace is common in most men and women who prefer minimalistic dress styles or jewelry styles.
A common example of a fitting necklace with a short length is the Collar necklace which fits tightly around the neck. It has an average length of 13 – 15 inches long. Also, the Choker necklace which fits around the base of the neck with an average length of 15 – 17 inches can be part of this category.
Age/Maturity
Your age or how mature you are can be a significant factor in your choices or preferences. This includes things like your fashion, music, etc. it is common to see teenagers who really like pop culture wearing long dangling necklaces like those commonly worn by pop stars.
On the other hand, people who are more mature are more likely to opt for or prefer wearing other necklaces with short or medium lengths. It is common for most mature women to wear either the choker necklaces or princess necklaces. Princess necklaces are usually between 17 – 19 inches long.
Neck Size
Your neck size is also another essential factor that you should consider when choosing the length of your necklace. There are necklaces that fit best for different types of necks. For instance, choker necklaces are tight-fitting around the neck and they only look nice on people with tall slender necks.
Chokers may not be an ideal option for people with large short necks. A longer necklace with a length of 18 – 20 inches may be more ideal for people with short necks.
Height
Your height is also a determinant of not just your clothing style and size, but also your jewelry style and particularly your necklace length.
Most of the time a long necklace fits better on tall people than shorter people. A necklace with lengths of more than 20 inches may dangle awkwardly when worn by a short person but the same necklace may just fit nicely on a tall or average height person.
Most tall and average height persons can wear necklaces of any length especially lengths that are longer than 24 inches, but short people may have to consider carefully the length of the necklace they are wearing and necklaces that are shorter than 24 inches are often ideal for short people.
The ideal length of a necklace can vary for different dress styles in short people, so it will be nice to carefully consider your necklace choices when picking your outfit.
It is important to consider how the necklace will fit with regards to your body frame before deciding on what to wear or buy.
Style
Your sense of style and the kind of clothes you wear will determine to a very large extent the length of the necklaces that you wear and of course the type of necklace that you wear as well. For example, wearing a long 30-inch opera necklace or 45-inch lariat necklace may not be the best thing to do if you are dressed in a business outfit like a pants suit.
However, wearing short length necklaces like a thin chain choker, collar, or princess necklaces may be a nice fit for this kind of outfit. Also, long hip hop chain necklaces that are often more than 40 inches long can be a common dress symbol for pop dress styles but may not be appropriate for business outfits in men.
Body Shape
The kind of body shape that you have can also play a huge role in how well your necklace fits when you dress up. This is one factor for choosing the length of a necklace that is often missed by many people.
Generally, ladies with bigger chest or boobs should wear short necklaces since shorter necklaces will stay right on your chest just above your boobs. This will fit nicely with your dressing and also prevent any unnecessary attention or distractions.
On the other hand, ladies with smaller boobs can wear necklaces that are longer than 24 inches. The long necklaces will fit nicely on their chest and fit nicely with their outfit since the chest is not large or busty.
Also, long necklaces will fit nicely on ladies with athletic body shape (tall) and those with inverted triangle shape while short necklaces will fit nicely on ladies that have pear-shaped bodies and hourglass body shapes.
The Shape of Your Face
The length and type of necklace you wear have a way of enhancing your facial features and it often makes you look different than usual. It all has to do with the way the necklace frames your face or at least the way by which it frames your face when others see you.
Ladies with rounded or oval faces are better off wearing necklaces that are at least 20 – 24 inches long.
For those with square/oblong faces, a shorter necklace should be preferable because it reduces the effect of sharp facial features and makes your appearance nicer and more appealing.
Types of Necklines
The design of the type of dress you wear also plays a huge part in determining the right necklace length that you should wear with that dress. For instance, ladies wearing turtleneck sweater can wear long necklaces and average-sized necklaces with pendants as well.
A collar necklace is often the best type of necklace to wear when your dress has a crew neck design. In addition, the ideal necklace length that will be a good fit for dresses like strapless dresses and dresses with boat neck designs maybe also ideal for short necklaces like a choker.
Necklaces with pendants may also be a good fit for dresses that are designed with V-shaped necks. The ideal thing may be to decide the type of necklace and length of necklace you want to wear so that you can pick the right dress combinations.
Types of Necklace
The type of necklace you have or want to wear can also be a determinant of the necklace length. There are various types of necklaces and they are usually used for different outfits or dress styles.
There are necklaces that are typically designed to be short in length. The lengths usually range from 14 inches to 20 inches long and are either tight-fitting around the neck or a little bit lose around the neck. Examples of these types of short necklaces include:
Collar
Collar necklaces are tight-fitting around the neck and usually about 14 inches in length. It is an ideal neck jewelry for ladies who are short or average height with long slender necks.
It may not be a good fit for ladies with short and wide necks. It is also a good fit for ladies with a heart-shaped face, oval and rectangular shaped faces.
Choker
Choker necklaces are also normally about 16 inches long and are considered to be short in length. Choker necklaces are not tight-fitting but they are just above the collar bone area. These necklaces can fit nicely with most types of dress styles and outfits.
Princess
Princess necklaces are about 18 inches in length and they normally don’t get lower than the collar bone area of the chest. They are a very versatile piece of jewelry since you can wear them with almost any kind of outfit.
Matinee
Matinee necklaces are considered to be average length necklaces that are usually at least 20 – 24 inches long. The necklace is placed between the collar bone and the bust (the sternum part of the chest). It is designed to be a piece of perfect jewelry for business and casual outfits.
Opera
Opera necklaces usually stay on the bust or a few inches lower than the bust. The necklaces are about 28 – 36 inches in length. They are perfect for people with high necklines and can be a good choice of complementing jewelry for evening dresses or gala outfits.
Lariat/Rope
Rope necklaces are often as long as 42 – 45 inches in length and the necklace is usually lower than the bust. Some people wrap it when sitting down (to prevent it from becoming a distraction). This jewelry can be a good complement for evening dresses and some business outfits.
You need to know this if you are still wondering about what is a good length of a necklace. The best answer depends on several factors (as explained above), and what may work for one person may not work for another person. So you need to figure out your preference for the ideal length of necklace and use it as you please.
