Not all necklaces can fit around all necks, and you’ll need a necklace extender to help deal with the smaller ones. This guide should help you find the right necklace extender for your jewelry.
What Are Necklace Extenders?
Necklace extenders are sort of an accessory tool that is used in tandem with necklaces. They extend the length of your necklace by connecting the necklace on both ends. This results in a longer chain or strap, allowing you to wear necklaces that would otherwise look too short around your neck.
Necklace extenders can be made out of various materials, though many of them are chain-like in structure. They’re also either available in gold or silver, though you can probably order a special one if you need unique requirements from a professional goldsmith or jeweler.
Why Do You Need a Necklace Extender?
They can help deal with gifted necklaces
Getting gifted a necklace can be a pretty wild experience. You find out that you’re getting a necklace, and as you’re putting it on, excited as you can be, you realize that the centerpiece is hanging a little too close to your throat. Then, once you put it on, you can almost feel the thing right up against your larynx. Of course, this was an accident, and the one who gifted you that necklace probably already feels sorry for getting the wrong size at this point. But, that doesn’t change the fact that you can’t wear this necklace properly - or can you?
There are two solutions to this problem - you either replace the chain entirely or get an extender. Extenders are great for gifted necklaces because you still preserve the necklace that was given by your friend or loved one while also making it wearable. They probably would be fine with you replacing the strap, but they’d probably take it as a very kind gesture if you used an extender instead.
They’re cheaper than replacing necklace chains and straps
The only alternative to using a necklace extender is to simply replace the entire chain or strap. This is easier said than done, however. If the chain was made out of expensive material, then it’ll cost you a lot to get a replacement made out of that same material. And even if it was made out of something relatively cheap, like gold-plated chains, then it’d still be quite a bit of money spent from your wallet.
With a necklace extender, you save up money by only buying an extender instead of an entire chain for both ends.
The extenders come in different lengths
While using extenders for your necklace is usually seen as a solution to a problem rather than an improvement, it can actually be pretty beneficial in certain situations. Let’s say, for example, that you like the way the centerpiece of your necklace looks at different lengths. You can’t just adjust the chain all the time, as that’d be expensive and time-consuming. With extenders, however, you can just extend the necklace to your ideal length, and change it up whenever you feel like it. It’s more of a silver lining than anything, but a benefit nonetheless.
You can use the same extender for multiple necklaces
If you thought replacing the chains of one short necklace was expensive, imagine having to do that for multiple necklaces. It’d obviously cost you a lot, even a small fortune depending on the costs and materials involved. But with just one necklace extender, you won’t have to pay for any of that. One of the advantages of necklace extenders is that they can be used in more than just one necklace.
Things to Consider When Buying Necklace Extenders
Color/material and pattern
Ideally, you’ll want your necklace extender to resemble your actual necklace chain as much as possible. That way, no one can tell that you’re using an extender unless they really look at the back of your necklace carefully. Fortunately, there are necklace extenders for various chain types and for various metal types, too, so you can pick a chain that matches the look of your necklace with a certain degree of accuracy.
When picking the chains, first consider the type of metal, such as gold or silver. The most obvious difference will lie in the metals themselves, so picking the same or similar one will be crucial. Then, you’ll need to pick the right chain pattern as well as the chain thickness, though these are secondary to the metal itself.
Length
Necklace extenders won’t do much for you if they don’t extend the necklace enough to make them wearable. Alternatively, if they’re too long, the necklace will end up looking too long instead of too short. Fortunately, necklace extenders come in sets of varying sizes, so if one size doesn’t work, you can use another size instead and hope that’ll do the trick.
A great way to find the ideal length is by working with a partner and placing the centerpiece of your necklace at the desired level. Then, let them pull the chains behind your neck as far back as possible, and have them get the measurement of the distance between the two chains. You can then find an extender with at least that length, and you’re good to go.
