Where an 14" chain lands depends on the neck it goes round. Below, the drape model is run on women’s, men’s and children’s neck sizes and against the lengths either side, so you can see whether 14" or a neighbour suits you.
Where 14 inches falls on women’s necks
On a 12" neck it drops 1.5" and sits at the base of the neck, choker style; On a 13" neck it drops 0.9" and sits at the base of the neck, choker style; On a 14" neck it drops 0.0" and sits tight at the throat, like a collar; On a 15" neck it drops 0.0" and sits tight at the throat, like a collar; On a 16" neck it drops 0.0" and sits tight at the throat, like a collar. A pendant hangs below that point by its own height, so a small pendant on this length shows just above most necklines.
On men’s necks
On a 15" neck or larger a 14" chain is too short to fasten at all. From about a 11.75" neck upward, a 14" chain closes to a choker, so men with larger necks should add 2 inches.
12" and 16" compared
On a 13" neck, a 12" chain drops 0.0" and a 16" chain 2.2", against 0.9" for 14". Each two inches of chain moves the low point about an inch, so if a 14" sits slightly too high, the next length down the chart, not two, is usually right.
For a child’s neck of 10 to 12 inches, a 14" chain drops 2.6", 2.1", 1.5", a comfortable length for older children.
Adjusting a 14" chain
Many chains come with a 2" extender. Fastened at the end of it, the chain is 16" (40.6 cm): on a 13" neck the low point moves from 0.9" to 2.2", and on a 16" neck from 0.0" to 0.0". Going the other way, a jeweller can shorten a 14" chain to 12" (30.5 cm): on a 13" neck that is too short to fasten, and on a 16" neck it is too short to fasten.
A pendant on 14 inches
A pendant hangs below the chain by its own height. On the 14" chain and a 13" neck, a 0.5" pendant ends 1.4" below the throat (at the base of the neck, choker style), a 1" pendant ends 1.9" below the throat (on the collarbone), a 1.5" pendant ends 2.4" below the throat (on the collarbone). On a 16" men’s neck the same pendants end at 0.5", 1.0", 1.5".
14 inches with a collar or neckline
Against a shirt or top, the question is whether the chain shows. A crew sits about 1" down: on a 13" neck the 14" chain sits right on its edge, on a 16" neck it hides 1.0" under it. A open collar sits about 3.5" down: on a 13" neck the 14" chain hides 2.6" under it, on a 16" neck it hides 3.5" under it. A v-neck sits about 6" down: on a 13" neck the 14" chain hides 5.1" under it, on a 16" neck it hides 6.0" under it. Necklines are averages, so check the drape diagram with your own neck size and collar.
For layering, a 16" chain sits 1.2" below the 14" and a 18" chain sits 2.3" below the 14" on a 13" neck; a gap of about an inch keeps layered chains from tangling.