Which Gold Necklace Suits Your Neckline?

Chain lengths in centimetres, the necklines each one flatters, and how to pair a pendant with a collar, a V or a square neck.

A model in a black dress wearing the Mazimo Key to My Heart 18K gold locket at her collarbone

A necklace is a line drawn across the chest, and the neckline is the frame it sits in. Get the length right and the piece looks intended; get it wrong and it looks like it arrived by accident. Lengths below are for an average frame; add or remove a few centimetres for yours.

The lengths

40 cm: sits at the base of the neck. A choker length; best on open necklines.
45 cm: the collarbone. The most versatile length and the one to own first.
50 cm: just below the collarbone. Ideal for a pendant.
55 to 60 cm: on the chest. For chains worn over clothing and for layering.

Crew and high necklines

A chain worn over the fabric at 55 to 60 cm, or nothing at all. Anything shorter fights the collar. A slim Cuban link over a fine knit is the classic.

V-necks

Follow the V. A pendant at 45 to 50 cm that points down into the neckline echoes its shape; a locket or a teardrop is ideal. Avoid a short round chain, which cuts across the V.

Square and straight necklines

A horizontal neckline wants a horizontal piece: a 45 cm chain with a round or padlock pendant that sits centred above the line, like the Key to My Heart locket.

Off-the-shoulder and strapless

All the room in the world. A 40 cm choker, or a 45 cm chain with presence, or two chains layered at 45 and 55 cm. This is where a heavier chain or a larger pendant belongs.

Collared shirts and abayas

Under an open collar, a 45 cm chain shows in the V of the collar and disappears when it is closed. Over an abaya or a high-necked dress, a long chain at 60 cm with a pendant draws the line down.

Layering

Two or three chains, each at least five centimetres apart in length, in the same karat colour, with only one carrying a pendant. Mixed link styles are fine; mixed colours are harder.

Pendants

A pendant should be in proportion to the chain: a fine chain for a small pendant, a heavier link for a locket. Check the bail turns freely so the pendant hangs straight. Weight, karat and length are on every Mazimo necklace page.

At Mazimo. Every piece is weighed in front of you at Al Manal Center, Deira, priced on the live gold rate of the day, and leaves with a certificate of purity and a tracking code you can check any time at mazimo.ae/track. Delivery across the UAE is insured and complimentary; unworn pieces can be exchanged within 48 hours of delivery.