How to Untangle A Necklace | CHURINGA Jewelry Repairs

It happens to the best of us. One day your necklaces are nice and tidy in your jewelry box; the next day they’re a tangled mess. Instead of forcefully pulling them apart (or pulling out your hair in frustration), learn about how you can untangle them without breaking anything.

How You Can Untangle Necklaces

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A tangled set of chains from a client.

Assess the situation:
- It may seem like a wild mess at the moment, but take a deep breath and see if you can figure out how many necklaces are tangled together. Different chain patterns and styles will allow you to visually identify each individual necklace. Gently poke out each one as much as you can in order to create a starting point for the untangling.
Unclasp all necklaces:
- A clasped necklace is much more difficult to untangle than an unclasped one, since the loop of a closed necklace is harder to pull apart from the mess. Unclasp all the necklaces so that they can be pulled out easily after untangling.
Start with beads:
- Beaded necklaces, such as pearl necklaces, are the most fragile and difficult to untangle out of all necklace types. Since they’re usually made with string, it’s very easy to break them with a strong tug. Other necklaces are prone to getting caught in between the beads, creating monstrous knots.
Use a pin or a needle:
- Smaller knots cannot be picked apart with your bare hands. Use a small pin or needle to gently pry the knots open, but be careful not to break any fine chains by pulling too hard.

If you’re still experiencing difficulties with the tangle of necklaces at home, then it’s time to bring it to a professional.

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The untangled chains, courtesy of our jewelers! The gold chain on the left was a chain soldering repair.

What a jeweler can do:

Use professional equipment:
- A jeweler’s tools are designed for tasks like this! With a wide variety of tweezers and setting tools that are fine enough to pick through necklaces, the jeweler can patiently and skillfully unravel the mess.
Undo jump rings:
- Jump rings are the hoops that connect parts of your necklaces together. When a tangle is particularly bad, the jeweler will carefully clip open a jump ring to remove the knot, and then solder the jump ring shut.
Solder chains:
- If you’ve broken your necklaces while attempting to unravel them, the jeweler will fix that up for you after removing the tangle. The chain soldering process involves mending two broken pieces by soldering, or “gluing” them back together with a soft metal alloy.