Most people order a chain by guessing, then find out it sits somewhere they did not expect. Here is what each length actually does, and why the one you want may not be the one you assumed.
Where each length sits
| Length | Where it sits | Who tends to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| 16 inch | Close around the base of the neck | Worn as a choker |
| 18 inch | At or just below the collarbone | The most popular length for women, and for men who want a chain sitting close to the neck |
| 20 inch | On the chest, clear of the collarbone | The most popular length for men |
| 22 inch | Lower on the chest | Anyone who prefers a longer fit |
| 24 inch | Mid chest | A longer fit again, with one practical advantage below |
The 24 inch advantage nobody mentions
A 24 inch chain goes over your head without unclasping it. That sounds small until you have fumbled a bolt ring behind your neck every morning, or worried about a clasp you cannot see. If you wear a chain daily and never want to fight with the fastening, 24 inch earns its length.
It also means the clasp gets opened far less often, and a clasp that is rarely opened is a clasp that lasts.
Length changes the weight, and the weight is the price
With gold you are paying for grams. The same chain in a longer length is physically more gold, so it costs more. This is not a mark-up for the extra inches, it is the metal.
These are the real guide weights across our own chains, so you can see how much the length actually adds:
| Chain | 16 inch | 18 inch | 20 inch | 22 inch | 24 inch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2mm Classic Curb | 1.7g | 1.9g | 2.1g | 2.3g | 2.8g |
| 2.25mm Round Belcher | not made | 3.6g | 3.9g | 4.6g | 5.1g |
| 3mm Rope | not made | 4.0g | 4.4g | 4.7g | 5.3g |
| 4mm Rope | not made | not made | 7.4g | 8.1g | 8.9g |
Going from 18 to 24 inch on the 1.2mm curb adds about 0.9g. On the 4mm rope, going from 20 to 24 inch adds 1.5g. Every weight on our site is a guide weight, because gold is cast in batches and an individual piece can vary very slightly.
How to check before you order
Take a piece of string, hold it where you want the chain to sit, and mark it. Lay it flat against a tape measure. That figure is your length. It takes a minute and it is more reliable than guessing from a photograph, because how a chain sits depends on your build and your neck as much as on the number.
If you are hanging a pendant on it
A pendant hangs below the chain, so the piece sits lower than the length suggests. A 30mm pendant on a 20 inch chain reads closer to a 22 inch chain worn on its own.
The other thing to check is whether the chain is strong enough to carry the pendant. A heavy pendant on a very fine chain puts all its weight on a few links. The guide weight on every pendant page tells you what the chain has to carry.