If you love layering your necklaces, you will agree with us that getting the necklaces in perfect layers and without any tangling really is an extreme sport, which is also why there is no better way of describing the problem but calling it what it is, the tangle struggle.
But is this a challenge that you can overcome easily and finally enjoy wearing your necklaces without worrying about the individual pieces never tangling?
You can finally enjoy the tangle-free layering of your necklaces by following the tips and tricks shared below.But first, why do necklaces get tangled in the first place?
The truth is that however it looks, your necklaces do not just tangle up, whether in the jewelry box or in the neck. The necklaces generally get tangled up when each of the necklaces gets tangled up when they cross over each other or over other necklaces.
So, as long as the chains come in contact with each other, even the ends of the same necklace, there will be tangling. But what exactly is the reason for all the tangling? Well, it’s got to do with something called entropy.
Entropy is all about the amount of randomness or the disorder in a system. While it sounds complex, it really is all about outside forces of even changes that cause the inevitable movements in a necklace.
So, thanks to entropy, the necklace will be tangled up with itself or with other necklaces, even when there isn’t much going on.
So, to be able to prevent tangling, you may want to ensure that the necklaces sit apart in the jewelry box and that they do not cross over each other. It might be more ideal to find a way of storing the necklaces safely, think a hanging necklace stand, for instance.
Now that you know all about entropy and the reason for the uncontrollable tangling of your necklaces let’s look at some of the effective solutions to the problem.
How to layer necklaces without tangling
1. Wear necklaces of different lengths
When it comes to layering, the most important thing you need to do is to check the length of the necklaces. When layering, you need to pick necklaces of different lengths, wearing that one long necklace first then adding the shorter ones. Aiming for different lengths will help to prevent tangling.
But you just can’t layer the necklaces haphazardly; you have to carefully layer the necklaces in different lengths, with the necklaces places at least 1 or 2 fingers apart. You could also opt for one necklace that is longer than all the others. It will allow you to create a nicely balanced feel even with 2 or more necklaces layered along with it.
Not sure where to start? Pair your choker necklace with a slightly longer pendant necklace. And keep in mind that the bigger the difference in the lengths of the necklaces, the lower the chances of tangling.
2. Heavy necklace (s) for balance
You need balance to prevent tangling, and in addition to that one long necklace, you might want to incorporate necklaces of different weights.
The longer necklaces should be the heavier ones. Adding a weighty item will keep away the tangles. So, try out necklaces with heavier pendants or stones because these will weigh down the pieces, keeping them apart.
If you are layering two necklaces, opt for one dainty piece and pair it with a bulkier necklace for great balance and style. As you already know, the heavier necklaces are not likely to move around, and this reduces the risk of tangling. You could also opt to layer the heavy necklaces together rather than the thin necklaces.
3. Consider the thickness of the necklaces and make sure you have at least one thick necklace
While mixing or layering the necklaces, it is important to make sure that you choose necklaces of varying lengths.
Essentially, the necklaces with no pendants and the ones in the same length, pretty much, shouldn’t be of the same thickness. Layering dainty or thick necklaces together will only make tangling worse.
So, choose necklaces of different lengths to prevent tangling. Often, the thicker necklaces cannot be tangled up with the thin pieces, which is why it’s recommended you mix the thin and thick necklaces.
4. Materials used for the necklaces
You can also prevent or avoid tangling by opting for necklaces made of different materials and with varied elements. This means that you should try to mix necklaces made of pearls, chains, and leather.
This is important because the differences in materials will not only add an interesting visual to the necklaces but also keep your necklaces apart from one another.
By mixing and matching all or most of your favorite initials, charms, drops, pendants, or gems, along with wearing at least two or even three necklaces, you will have that much-needed instant update to your outfit.
5. The right order for the necklaces
You want to prevent tangling; you need to find the right order for your necklaces. Generally, you’d have to wear the necklaces in the right order, from the thinnest necklace/ chain to the thicker necklace. This order will make sure that the thin pieces are not caught up with the thicker necklaces.
When ordering the necklaces, there is something else that you could opt for – this neat trick requires you to put in the clasp of your first (dainty) necklace right through the links of the second necklace. Doing this will not only keep the necklaces chained together but also, your necklaces wouldn’t shift or get tangled.
6. Opt for the tighter necklaces
If you don’t want to think about tangling necklaces or you’re just sick of the tangles, you may want to opt for tighter necklaces, specifically, choker necklaces.
Since these wrap-around chokers are essentially tight pieces, they will not be tangled, which makes them the best option for you. The catch is that this idea only works if you are into choker necklaces and the style. We can all agree that this necklace style is not everyone’s cup of tea.
7. Use a necklace spacer (necklace detangler)
If you don’t mind spending a little extra time trying to fix your necklaces and end the tangling issue once and for all, you might want to invest in the necklace spacer. The necklace spacer is an easy fix designed to create one joined clasp behind the neck as it attaches to your necklaces.
The necklace spacers are featured two or three clasps, but others can have up to 5 clasps that will hold 2 to 5 necklaces.
The spacers are also designed using different materials, and they are available in different colors, although the most common colors and materials available or used for the necklace spacers are gold and silver.
The spacers are bar-shaped, but over time, there have been more designs, including some that come in pretty florals designs. These intricately designed necklace spacers are not only perfectly functional but also perfect for those nights or even days when you have your hair held up and wish to show off the hair and your neck.
So, how does the necklace detangler work?
Well, the necklace detangler or spacer is essentially made of two components meant to slide into each other. On one side of the spacer are rings to which you attach the necklaces, while on the other side of this spacer are spring clasps to clasp to the other side of the necklace.
So, all you’d have to do would be attaching the necklaces to the spacer, then working the detangler. You’d slide it open, wear the necklaces, then slide the spacer back closed – easy, huh?
But even with the necklace spacer, you’d still want to stick to the other rules and tips offered above – weight, the thickness of the necklaces, different materials, etc.
8. Link your necklaces together
If using a necklace spacer is not your ideal option because you’d have to place an order and have it delivered, you might want to try linking together the necklaces.
This is a smart trick in which you will be linking the clasps of one of the necklaces with or to the clasps of another necklace. By linking the clasps together, you create what looks like and works in the same way as the necklace spacer. Linking the clasps will not only create the illusion of a single-layered necklace but also keep the necklaces apart with ease.
The catch is that this trick doesn’t always work, especially because for you to link the necklaces, you’d have to flip around one of the necklaces, which means that the necklaces should be plain. If they have similar charms, they will look different and awkward once flipped around.
9. Decide the statement you’d like to make
Finally, all these recommendations will not really count if you don’t know what kind of look or statement you’d like to make.
For that edgy look, you could go with a chain link paired with a choker, but for that classy statement that oozes feistiness, you could mix delicate chokers with a stone or gemstone pendant necklace.
Conclusion
There are many things that determine how well your necklaces look when you layer them, but at the end of the day, the key to preventing tangling is to balance the elements of the necklaces.
Read more useful tips here or here!
Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.