Every piece we make is made to order, which means length is chosen before the piece exists rather than adjusted afterwards. That is worth five minutes of measuring. Here is how to get it right.
Necklace lengths and where they sit
These are for an average adult neck. If your neck is broader or narrower than average, shift everything by an inch in the appropriate direction.
14 inches — a true choker, sitting tight around the base of the neck.
16 inches — sits at the base of the neck, right around the collarbone notch. The most common "choker" length people actually mean, and the standard base layer for stacking.
18 inches — sits just below the collarbone. The default for a reason: it works with almost every neckline and it is where a pendant hangs most naturally.
20 inches — a couple of inches below the collarbone, at the top of the chest. Good as a middle or outer layer, and good for men.
22–24 inches — mid-chest. Reads longer and more masculine; sits below most crew necklines.
26 inches and above — sits at or below the sternum. Usually a deliberate statement or a long pendant chain.
How to measure your own necklace length
Take a piece of string or a phone charging cable, hold it around your neck at the height you want the chain to sit, mark where the ends meet, and measure the marked length flat against a ruler. Do this in front of a mirror rather than by feel.
If you already own a necklace you like the length of, just measure that one, clasp included, laid flat.
Three adjustments people forget
Pendants add length. A pendant hangs below the chain, so an 18-inch chain with a one-inch drop reads closer to a 19-inch necklace. If you know exactly where you want a pendant to land, size the chain shorter than the target.
Wider chains sit lower. A heavier chain has more weight pulling downward and a thicker profile taking up room at the back of the neck. A 5mm chain at 20 inches sits slightly lower than a 2mm at 20 inches. Not by much, but enough to notice on a borderline choice.
Layering needs gaps of at least two inches. Chains an inch apart will touch, tangle and read as one thick line. Two inches is the minimum for clean separation; 16, 18 and 20 is the standard stack for a reason.
Bracelets
Measure around your wrist bone with a strip of paper or a soft tape, snug but not compressing. That number is your wrist size, not your bracelet size.
Then add for fit:
Add 0.25–0.5 inch for a snug bracelet that stays put and does not slide over the wrist bone.
Add 0.75–1 inch for a comfortable everyday fit — the bracelet moves a little and rotates freely. This is what most people want.
Add 1.25–1.5 inches for a loose, draped fit that sits down over the hand when your arm hangs.
A heavier chain wants slightly more room than a fine one, because it has more bulk sitting under the wrist.
Anklets
Measure around the ankle just above the ankle bone, then add half an inch to an inch. Anklets are almost always worn looser than bracelets — they should rotate freely and sit on the ankle rather than gripping it.
Standard adult anklet lengths run 9 to 10 inches. If you are between sizes, go up: a slightly loose anklet looks intentional, a tight one does not.
Rings
Measure at the end of the day, when your fingers are at their largest. Fingers can differ by as much as half a size between morning and evening, and by more in hot or cold weather.
If you are between sizes, go up rather than down — a ring you cannot get off is a bigger problem than one that turns slightly. Wide bands fit tighter than narrow ones, so for a band over 6mm, size up a quarter to a half size.
If you are still unsure
Write to us before you order. Tell us your measurement and what you want the piece to do, and we will tell you what to choose. Because everything is made to order, getting it right the first time is much easier than fixing it afterwards — and personalised pieces cannot be returned at all.