An 24" (61.0 cm) necklace is a matinee length. On a 13" women’s neck it drops about 6.4" and sits at the top of the bust; on a 16" men’s neck it drops 5.0" and sits on the upper chest. Set your own neck size below to see it drawn.
Where each chain falls on a 13" neck: tap a length. Below it, chain widths are drawn at true 1:1 size: lay a chain on the glass to read its width.
1:1 chain width. Each bar is the real width; the strip shows the chosen style at 3 mm.
Sort any column, download it as CSV or print it. Click a row to show it at 1:1.
| Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.0" | 6.9" · 17.5 cm | at the top of the bust | ||
| 11.0" | 6.4" · 16.3 cm | at the top of the bust | ||
| 10.0" | 6.0" · 15.2 cm | just below the collarbone | ||
| 9.0" | 5.5" · 14.0 cm | just below the collarbone | ||
| 8.0" | 5.0" · 12.8 cm | just below the collarbone |
| Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0" | 5.5" · 14.0 cm | on the upper chest | ||
| 8.0" | 5.0" · 12.8 cm | on the upper chest | ||
| 7.0" | 4.5" · 11.5 cm | on the upper chest | ||
| 6.0" | 4.0" · 10.2 cm | on the upper chest | ||
| 5.0" | 3.5" · 8.9 cm | on the upper chest | ||
| 4.0" | 3.0" · 7.6 cm | on the collarbone |
05 / Field guide
Where an 24" 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 24" or a neighbour suits you.
On a 12" neck it drops 6.9" and sits at the top of the bust; On a 13" neck it drops 6.4" and sits at the top of the bust; On a 14" neck it drops 6.0" and sits just below the collarbone; On a 15" neck it drops 5.5" and sits just below the collarbone; On a 16" neck it drops 5.0" and sits just below the collarbone. With a pendant, this length clears a crew neckline on most necks.
15" neck: 5.5" drop, on the upper chest; 16" neck: 5.0" drop, on the upper chest; 17" neck: 4.5" drop, on the upper chest; 18" neck: 4.0" drop, on the upper chest; 19" neck: 3.5" drop, on the upper chest; 20" neck: 3.0" drop, on the collarbone. From about a 22.25" neck upward, a 24" chain closes to a choker, so men with larger necks should add 2 inches.
On a 13" neck, a 22" chain drops 5.4" and a 26" chain 7.5", against 6.4" for 24". Each two inches of chain moves the low point about an inch, so if a 24" 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 24" chain drops 7.8", 7.3", 6.9", long enough to catch on play equipment, so choose a shorter chain or a breakaway clasp.
Many chains come with a 2" extender. Fastened at the end of it, the chain is 26" (66.0 cm): on a 13" neck the low point moves from 6.4" to 7.5", and on a 16" neck from 5.0" to 6.1". Going the other way, a jeweller can shorten a 24" chain to 22" (55.9 cm): on a 13" neck that hangs 5.4" below the throat, and on a 16" neck it hangs 3.9" below the throat.
A pendant hangs below the chain by its own height. On the 24" chain and a 13" neck, a 0.5" pendant ends 6.9" below the throat (at the top of the bust), a 1" pendant ends 7.4" below the throat (at the top of the bust), a 1.5" pendant ends 7.9" below the throat (at the top of the bust). On a 16" men’s neck the same pendants end at 5.5", 6.0", 6.5".
Against a shirt or top, the question is whether the chain shows. A crew sits about 1" down: on a 13" neck the 24" chain clears it by 5.4", on a 16" neck it clears it by 4.0". A open collar sits about 3.5" down: on a 13" neck the 24" chain clears it by 2.9", on a 16" neck it clears it by 1.5". A v-neck sits about 6" down: on a 13" neck the 24" chain sits right on its edge, on a 16" neck it hides 1.0" under it. Necklines are averages, so check the drape diagram with your own neck size and collar.
For layering, a 20" chain sits 2.1" above the 24" and a 22" chain sits 1.0" above the 24" and a 28" chain sits 2.0" below the 24" on a 13" neck; a gap of about an inch keeps layered chains from tangling.
Questions
On a 13" women’s neck it drops about 6.4" and sits at the top of the bust. On a 16" men’s neck it drops 5.0" and sits on the upper chest.
24 inches is 61.0 cm. It is a matinee length.
On a 16" neck it drops 5.0" and sits on the upper chest, a popular length for men.
About 5.5" (14.0 cm) below the base of the throat, just below the collarbone for most women and on the upper chest for a man with a 15" neck.
On a 13" neck the 22" sits just below the collarbone and the 24" at the top of the bust. Measure your neck and set it on the diagram to compare.