A necklace length is determined by the neckline of your outfit and when it’s too long, the overall look is distasteful.
I have seen people with overly long pearls for their necklines, and it doesn’t come off as it should.
If you have struggled with this issue before, we have tricks and hacks that you can use to shorten your pearls temporarily, maybe for a specific outfit.
In this post, we will teach you how to shorten pearl necklaces and still look great.
How to shorten a pearl necklace temporarily
Pearls are gorgeous, and they have been there as early as 2300BC. They were used by royals only, and that’s why pearls are valuable to date.
That aside, how can you shorten your pearl necklace for a specific look and neckline? When you have no clue on how to go about it, you can easily put away your pearls and forget about them. Let’s look at some proven tricks below.
The Ribbon trick
The beauty of the ribbon quick fix is that it’s only temporary, and you can go back to your usual long pearl necklace. The ribbon shortening hack works when you need a short pearl necklace, but you have a long one at hand.
It also works when you only need to shorten the necklace for a single occasion or outfit without shortening it permanently by making cuts and omissions.
The first thing to do is find a ribbon that coordinates the necklace and your intended outfit in color. The idea of changing jewelry without deconstruction is wonderful.
When you have your scissors and ribbon ready, gather your long necklace and fold it into a u-shape. Cut the ribbon into two pieces. Tie the ribbons to your pearl necklace on two sides to make a complete circle.
After this, you will have two open ends of the ribbon. This is your chance to get creative with a brooch. Attach a brooch and let it act as a decoration to one end of the front necklace.
You will have a stylish piece from your old piece. I know most people only know how to wear their pearls in just one way. Here is your chance to showcase some creativity and style.
An old Earing stud trick
Do not throw away your orphaned earring studs again. They will come in handy when you want to shorten your pearl necklace for a different look.
This is a fast and easy trick if your pearls aren’t too long. All you need to do is wear your pearl necklace and gather the excess length at the back of your neck.
Clip your old earring through the necklace between the pearl beads and keep it at the back. The earring will pinch the necklace and make it hand shorter.
This is safer than using a safety pin as most people have done in the past. This trick can work if you want to turn your pearl necklace into a bracelet. Yea, you heard that right.
If you didn’t know how to wear your jewelry more than one way, we are your trusted rescue team. You can fold your necklace until it fits in your fist. Use your earring to hold the folds together and wear a multiple-fold bracelet.
A necklace shortener
This is the surest way to shorten your pearl necklace and maintain a glamorous look. A warning though, you must use a silicon shortener as opposed to the metal ones mostly used to avoid scratching your precious pearls.
There are two ways you can do this. The first way is to attain a double-strand necklace. All you need is your shortener and your long necklace.
Fold your necklace in half and place it on a table. You can use a jewelry display stand if you have one. You now have two open ends of a necklace. Use your shortener to complete the necklace by opening it.
Yea, it has a tiny lock system in place. When it opens, you will have to hooks. Use the hooks on each end of the necklace and lock it up to form a complete necklace.
The other way is to twist your long single necklace and make a twisted pattern. Fold it in half as demonstrated above and use your shortener. You will have an illusion of a thick-beaded pearl necklace.
The beauty of this little accessory is how elegant it looks on the back. You will love this, and no one will notice your little hack. The shorteners can degrade your silk over time if you constantly use them.
You need to get a jeweler to restring your pearls to avoid losing them when your string cannot bear it anymore. Shorteners can come in gold or silver colors, and you can opt for what works best for you.
Consult a Jeweler
No one knows things better than an actual expert. Most of our pearls were given to us as generational gifts, and it would be such a shame to be the one to destroy them. You can visit an expert and ask them what you can do to shorten your pearls temporarily without damaging them.
The experts can recommend the best shortener or hacks that will make sure your necklace remains intact. They can also do the shortening for you and save you all the headaches especially if you have no time on your hands.
We might know a few DIY tricks and hacks, but a jeweler worth their salt will have some more creative hacks than you. You should do this if your pearls are extremely valuable to avoid scratches and damage to the string.
Tips for multiple long pearl necklaces
If you have been keeping these beauties stacked away due to their unwanted length, it is time to get them out and make them one beautiful piece.
This trick works best with different colors, but also looks good in a single shade. Take your long jewelry and place it on a table. Arrange them horizontally and mix the colors for a classy look.
When this is done, twist them into one chunky necklace and fold them into a u-shape. This hack involves no permanent measures like restringing or redesigning.
Use large oval necklace shorteners to bring the necklace chunk together. This hack works best when you want the necklace to be as close as possible to the base of your neck. After this, you can rock a multi-colored masterpiece and keep turning heads all day.
Conclusion
It’s time to get those pearls you stacked behind the closet out and create masterpieces out of them.
You can shorten them and rock them on your next occasion.
People have often stopped wearing their necklaces when they do not match the outfits they intend to wear due to length.
Well, you do not have to do this anymore if you follow our hacks above. All the best as you glam up with your sweet pearls.
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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.