To look great, stunning, and simply pull off that chain necklace look perfectly; the first important thing that you need to do is to choose the appropriate length for the chain. The chain must offer just the perfect fit, which means that whether you are going for a simple chain or the blinged chain, you have to get the length right.
Getting the right length of the chain and the perfect fit is essential, and a look down history from the eagle talons that were worn by the Neanderthals to the Cuban link chains by Jay Z, the one thing that often stands out is the fact that the chain fits right.
In this article, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about choosing the perfect chain length for you. So, let’s get started!
4 Things You Need To Know Before You Choose Men’s Necklace Length
To choose the right necklace length, there are 4 critical items that should be at the top of your list. These include:
- Type of shirts you’ll wear– the first question you need to answer when buying the chain is whether you wear collared shirts or not. This is a crucial factor because the longer necklaces work best with the non-collared shirt like necklaces, especially when you are wearing the necklace on the shirt or even under it. For t-shirts and round-neck shirts, on the other hand, you’ll need simpler chains. The 18inch chain necklaces with pendants aren’t suitable for collared shirts or even t-shirts because the pendants will slip down and under the shirt’s collar.
- Will the necklace go over or under the shirt?– your answer to this question will impact not just the length of the chain you choose but also the necklace style you choose. Generally, it is easier wearing the thinner pendant or a chain necklace like one with dog tags under your shirt, while chains with thicker pendants like crystals wouldn’t go under the shirt because the crystal would bulge.
- Adjustable or fixed chain design– would you prefer a chain necklace with an adjustable length, allowing you to wear the chain at different lengths and for different outfits? The 18” chain, for example, would work well for a Henley Shirt, while the 20” chain would match the V-Neck t-shirt well. So, if you come across a chain necklace that offers these two options for the price of one, wouldn’t that be an excellent idea for you?
- Casual or formal chain style– most men choose chain necklaces for casual wear, but others opt for chains that they can wear with formal wear too. Generally, if you are looking for a chain for casual wear, then the length of the chain wouldn’t really matter – and you could wear anything from an extra-long chain to a choker necklace. And if you are looking for a necklace chain to match your more formal styles/ wear, then a 20” chain would be ideal and suitable for your button-down and collared shirts.
As you can see from the information above, there are several factors that affect the length of the chain necklace you choose, which also means that before you buy the necklace, you’d have to measure the length of your neck. You could use a simple piece of string to determine the right length of the necklace.
What is the best chain length for a Man?
When it comes to the size of the chains for men, the right chain is typically designed to fall on your collar bone, which is why the ideal length for the men’s chain necklace is 20 inches.
Please see the table here.
But if the chain comes with a pendant, you may want to settle on a chain necklace with a different length suggested.
For a layered look, you’d choose necklaces of different lengths.
That said, you’d want to choose the best chain length for you depending on your preferences, comfort, and also how well the chain sits on your neck, depending on the shirt you choose.
Make Sure and Measure
As mentioned above, the one thing you need to do to ensure the perfect chain length is to get the length of the chain right.
Whether you are going for the short length chain or an extra-long chain, you’d want to select the chain appropriately, making sure that the size works well. For accurate length, use a piece of string to lie at the desired length of the necklace.
The good news is that, even with this option, you wouldn’t have to do additional math, especially because regardless of the length of the chain that you settle on, the chain necklaces on the market come at the right size, with the length of the clasp incorporated.
So, you wouldn’t have to worry about the chain running a little too short for you once you make a purchase. If you are going for a simpler look and need a chain necklace that works with different chain lengths, you’d want to opt for the 20-inch necklace.
Full-Size Table for the various necklace lengths
Necklaces for men are worn at different lengths depending on not just the necklace style but also the impression or the statement you wish to make.
To ensure the right fit, here are some of the important guidelines on necklace chain lengths.
- 18-Inch Necklaces
In general, the length of the necklace for adults will be the comfortable chain length at the base of the neck.
But this might be different for larger men because, at this size, the chain necklace might be too tight. For most of the younger men or even men with smaller necks, the necklace length will fit comfortably at the neck’s base.
That said, you should know that the 18-inch necklaces shouldn’t be worn with pendants, even though the very small pendants or the focal necklace pieces at the middle of the necklace would still look good, albeit depending on the necklace style.
And before you wear the 18-inch necklace with a pendant, you may want to consider the fact that the pendant for this chain necklace would flip between being under and above your round-collared shirt.
- 20-Inch Necklace
The 20” necklace is the most common chain length for most men as it’s the right chain length, with the chain falling right on the collarbone and in between your 1st and the 2nd button for the button-down shirts.
At this length, the chain also works with pendants, and the chain length will keep the pendant at the top of your round-collared shirts. For the button shirts with the two top buttons at the top open, the 20-inch length of the chain would work well for you and different pendants.
The 20-inch chain necklace is also suitable for V-neck shirts. Note, however, that if you have a larger neck, the 20-inch necklace would be the smallest size of the chain, and it would be ideal for you to take neck measurements first.
- 22-inch Necklace
This is the other common necklace chain length for men, and it works particularly well if you are looking for a pendant necklace.
This chain falls a few inches below your collarbone, and if you are wearing it with a collared, button-down shirt, the chain will fall right under the 2nd button.
This necklace chain works well if you are looking for a necklace that fits under or even under your shirt, generally, depending on the necklace style.
- 24-inch necklace
This necklace chain length will fall right under the middle of your sternum, and it’s ideally worn under your shirt.
You could also wear it with pendants, including dog tags that go under your shirt.
Besides the dog tags, you can also wear them with crosses and other types of pendants, under or above the shirt.
- 30-inch necklace
The 30-inch necklace is the longest standard necklace length for men, and it’s to be worn over your shirt.
This necklace typically is a plain chain necklace without a pendant, but some people opt to wear it with interesting pendants.
- 36-inch necklace
The last chain necklace length for men is the 36-inch necklace.
It is a non-standard and an unusual length of the chain necklace, it’s extra-long, and it falls down the chest.
Now, depending on the size of your head and the size of the neck, you could wrap the chain around and wear it as a shorter, double-stranded necklace.
How thick should a man’s chain be (Chain’s Width)?
You need to choose a necklace size that best fits your neck for the perfect fit. The ideal length of the chain varies depending on your neck.
If you are slim, you’d want to settle on a slim chain between the length of 2 and 4mm, and if you have a thicker, larger neck, you’d want to settle on the wider chains for a more proportional it.
Essentially, there is a wide range of chain necklace widths, from the 1mm chains to the 8mm chains.
And just to give you a better idea of what the chains look like, the 2mm chain is just as wide as your phone’s headphone wires, while the 6mm is just as wide as a pencil.
Types of Men’s Chain (Based on the chain length)
There are different types of chain necklaces for men, but the common differentiating feature for the necklaces is the length of the chain. Below, we look at three of the most common types of men’s chain necklaces.
1.Short, choker-style chain necklaces
These are the chain necklaces that fall just below the base of your neck. The chains hang above your low collar and ideal for people who see the entire necklace chain.
You can wear these short necklace chains with just about anything, well, except a suit and tie.
This chain necklace will, however, look a little unusual under your dress shirt or even a turn-down collar.
On their own, the chain necklace fits right above the collar, and anyone can see the necklace.
2.Mid-Length Chain Necklace
This necklace will end right at the base of the neck or at the top of your breastbone, and they often come as unornamented chains.
As a result of the design and length of the chain, the links would be visible when worn with the open-collared shirts or even the turn-down collars, including T-shirts.
Note, however, that this chain length is quite the most awkward chain length for pendants because the pendant would fall under your collar when wearing some shirts, or it could be above for some shirts.
And even if it’s covered, the pendant would only be covered halfway, and albeit awkwardly.
3.Long-chain necklaces or cords
The long chain necklaces for men are good options for you if you wish to wear pendant necklaces.
The pendants would be attached to the chain, and it’s generally worn with the pendant outside for casual outfits, so if you are looking for a long chain necklace for your V-neck tees or open button shirts, this style of chain necklace may be a great option for you.
Lastly, you’d have to consider the materials that the chain necklace is made of. For some, you can change the chains and the cords, in and out, and in the case of the metal chains, you could have them shortened by a jeweler.
Tips for buying a necklace for men
Here are some of the important considerations you need to keep in mind when buying necklaces for men.
- Know more about the story you’d like to tell – in other words, you’d want to ask yourself just how attention-grabbing you’d want the necklace to be. So, would you like it to be outrageously thick or a simple thin chain necklace with a cross pendant?
- What will you wear the necklace with – generally, you need to determine where you will wear the chain necklace – on top of your shirt or under it.
- The color and how best to match the colors and materials – Would you prefer the color-beaded necklaces, the silver or gold-tone necklaces?
- The number of necklaces you will want – While it can be very tricky for you to wear multiple necklaces, especially under the shirt, and without them being more visible, you get to go all out and wild if you wear multiple necklaces over the shirt. But before you opt to layer the necklaces or to wear more than a single necklace, you should also think about the lengths and textures; and, most importantly, ensure that the features of the necklace balance out.
Conclusion
And there you have it – everything you need to know about choosing chain lengths for men’s necklaces. Just keep in mind that the perfect necklace for you is not just comfortable and stylish; it offers the perfect fit and your style.
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