Why Do Necklaces Get Tangled?
The necklace layering trend continues to thrive, but our aspirations for creating the perfect cascade of necklaces are often thwarted when it comes time to keep them from tangling.
Where are people getting these magical necklaces that *don't* end up in an impenetrable maze of dainty gold perfection? They're not getting them. Because they don't exist.
There are, however, tips and tricks to thwart the touchy little chains that can't seem to keep their links off of each other.
When chains compete for space either on your chest or the back of your neck, or when packed or in a jewelry box, the result often isn't pretty. Mixing in the hair factor when necklaces are being worn amps up the diciness.
Since chains are often heavier than hair, the hair gets pulled into the mix and causes a painful and tangled situation. We know that beauty is pain, but surely there are limits, right?
How to Keep Necklaces From Tangling While Wearing Them
There's a delicate dance that goes along with donning similarly delicate chains strategically. Necklace material, length, weight, and size can make or break your vision.
Wear Necklaces of Different Lengths
To achieve a layered look that's interesting and makes a statement, take advantage of different lengths. Pairing short and long necklaces, with a 2-inch buffer between each, gives each piece a designated place on your chest, minimizing the need to compete for the spotlight and causing a knot while they're at it.
Try pairing a 14-16-inch choker like the Bismark Necklace, with a longer 20-25 inch necklace like the Vessel Pendant to add visual interest and harmony with your outfit.
Wear Necklaces of Different Weights
Necklaces of different weights also play nice together. Lightweight necklaces are more likely to get tangled, especially with other lightweight necklaces, because they move around a lot and don't have weight to hold them down.
A heavier necklace, like the Cashmere Ombre Gemstone Necklace, will anchor the look and add some impact to a dainty counterpart like the Stellar Necklace.
Bold is beautiful. To elevate the impact, eliminate the dainty necklace altogether in favor of a second bolder beauty like the Valentine Necklace to avoid any chance of tangle entirely.
Mix Materials
The Cashmere Ombre Gemstone Necklace, Stellar Necklace, and Valentine Necklace are prime examples of material mixing—another fast track to take yourself straight out of tangle town.
Necklaces made of different materials and textures keep them from tangling on your chest and at the back of your neck. Opposites, in this case, tend to not attract, so try mixing a metal necklace with a fabric or bead necklace like the Turquoise Beaded Necklace, rather than metal on metal.
Use a Necklace Spacer
Have you met our best friend, the necklace spacer? She is a HERO. This little tool is so handy and equally subtle, and has us wondering why we ever thought we could layer necklaces gracefully without one.
Necklace spacers feature multiple clasps and hooks that are spaced out to promise tangle-free necklace layering, no matter the weight, material, or length of any of your chosen chains.
How to Keep Necklaces From Tangling While Storing Them
Do you feel like your wired headphones (if you still have them) tangle if you look at them wrong? Or look at them at all? Same. What did we ever do to them?
Necklace chains share that same unpleasant quality and can go from perfectly placed to a giant knot within seconds when in storage. There are ways to avoid this disaster, however, as long as we have the patience to stick to these habits.
Keep Them in a Jewelry Box
There's a reason that jewelry boxes are still around, and that they—surprise!—weren't placed on earth purely to house the dress-up jewelry of our youth.
Most jewelry boxes have a place for everything. We just need to actually take the extra 5 seconds to use the appropriate compartments and necklace holders for their intended purpose to avoid scratching and tangling, rather than just dropping each piece in the box blindly (...guilty).
If there isn't a perfectly sized compartment for every piece, wrap them in tissue paper or leave them in the original bags.
Hang Them on a Necklace Hanger Stand
Jewelry is meant to be admired, which makes necklace hanger stands a sensible storage solution with similar safeness to a jewelry box. When carefully placed, necklace stands keep chains from touching each other and also allow them to hang freely without rubbing up against other jewels.
Many stands offer graduated tiers to cater to different necklace lengths as well as bracelets and watches, creating a gorgeous display of your prized possessions.
Try Jewelry Rolls
If you're trying to go the opposite route and save space on your dresser or vanity, or maybe you're on the go and want to be able to scoop your jewels up quickly without much thought, try a jewelry roll. They're soft-sided, compact, and gently keep each item separated from their neighbors.
Skip the investment and make your own jewelry roll with a tried and true washcloth or even plastic wrap. Just carefully place each item in a single layer, roll it up, and voila! Protection with a side of resourcefulness.
How to Keep Necklaces From Tangling While Traveling
It seems like setting foot on an airplane is a direct invitation to your necklaces to turn into a giant and unwearable lump, leaving you at your destination debating between enjoying yourself or wrestling with what should have been the perfect accessories. Wrestle no more!
Foldable Jewelry Organizers
Similar to the jewelry roll and the washcloth method, foldable jewelry organizers offer the cushion of a jewelry box without the size. They're compact and perfectly packable so you can leave your tweezers in your toiletry kit and your magnifying glass at home.
Get a Travel Jewelry Box
If you can manage to choose only a fraction of your jewelry to take with you on a trip and you're a light packer with room to spare (teach us your ways!) a travel jewelry box offers luxurious storage in a smaller size.
Try a Straw
Reusable drinking straws are a handy homemade helper for keeping your packed jewelry compact but protected when it's tucked away. Just feed one end of the chain down into the hole, and then reclasp it, letting the pendant hang out of the not-clasped end. It eliminates friction and takes up minimal space.
Use Bubble Wrap
For those light packers who have the luxury of a little extra room to work with, try laying your necklaces on a layer of bubble wrap, folding it over, and sealing it up in a plastic storage bag. This method is especially perfect for larger pendants and bulkier necklaces that might be rough on their daintier counterparts or could possibly rip soft-sided jewelry storage.
Do you feel that? It's the relief of knowing that you'll never have to waste a million years trying to untangle an impenetrable mess of intertwined chains ever again.
