Do you have a jewelry box full of tangled necklaces?
If so, you’re not alone. It seems that no matter how carefully we put them away, they always seem to tangle up.
So perhaps careful is not the answer, but instead, “strategic” is?
If your strategy is wrong, you can be all kinds of careful, but the moment you “carefully” put two chains together without taking precautions, you are asking for trouble.
All it takes is a bump or slide for two chains to end up getting tangled. Heck, this even happens when a chain is all by itself too! The thinner the chain, the more likely that it will be found with a knot or ten, and tangled up somehow.
When we think of “storage” are we talking about inside a typical jewelry box, which will usually have a place to hang chains and necklaces, or are we talking about packing them away for going on a trip or hiding them?
These two are entirely different because one leaves the chain or necklace hanging by itself, which is less likely to get tangled, but the other does not.
In this blog post, we will share some tips on how to store necklaces so that they don’t tangle.
Follow these simple steps and your necklaces will be organized and tangle-free!
Table of Contents
What Causes Necklaces To Tangle
Anytime you have chains, you have fluidity.
This means that because they are not stiff, they will tangle if they get together.
Even if you keep the clasps together the same way it is worn, they still become tangled. The more you pull and shake the chains, the tighter they get in entanglement.
So we have simply got to find a way to store these chains in order to even be able to wear them.
If you have heavy, thick chains, this does not present a problem because they are less likely to be able to knot up without some real effort.
We are talking about the narrow chains that you would wear a lighter weight pendant on.
How To Store Necklaces To Prevent Tangling
Unfortunately, dealing with tangling chains is just part of the territory when you own them.
The best way to keep your chains from getting tangled is to store them properly. After searching around we did find the most failsafe “hack” possible.
We will follow this with a few other ideas too.
The Straw Hack
Store your thinner chains and necklaces by inserting one end through a drinking straw.
This is the best advice that we have found.
A drinking straw usually has a 5mm opening and there are even larger diameter straws too.
Remove the chain from your neck and take the smaller end of the clasp and simply drop it through the straw until it comes out the other end. Then clasp the necklace or chain back together.
Doing it this way means that the entire length of one side of the chain is encased in plastic and is simply unable to wander over to meet the other side to tangle up.
Granted, this is not exactly the most attractive way to display your chains or necklaces…but neither is having a pile of chains that you cannot pull apart.
Hang Your Chains
If you want to display your chains and necklaces rather than looking at them as a pile of straws, then you will need to hang them individually.
Once you set a chain down, you are in danger of it tangling from the simplest misstep, even tangling with its own self.
But hanging chains is supposedly faster than threading it through a straw, and it is also as effective provided that you hang them with plenty of room between each other.
Think of it as social distancing.
You should be used to this by now.
The only downfall with doing this is if the chains and necklaces are expensive, then obviously they are not hidden if kept in the standard jewelry armoire that allows for hanging chains.
If you wanted to travel with your jewelry, you would have to resort to the straw hack so you could pack it anyway.
If you wanted to hide your expensive chains or necklaces, you could hang them somewhere that would not be obvious, such as putting them on a safety pin and pinning them to the back of your curtains where the light does not show through.
Wrap Your Chain
Another alternative to the straw hack is to take a soft thin cloth and unclasp the chain.
Set it down with one end of the chain going in one direction and the other going opposite.
Roll up the cloth and put a rubber band to keep the roll from unrolling until you are ready to wear the chain, toss it into wherever you keep your fine jewelry.
This method can be used for both traveling and hiding too.
The only problem that we see with this is that it takes three times the amount of time to do, rather than the first two, and you can’t clearly see what is in each cloth until you unwrap it.
Tips For Untangling Your Chains
So now that you know how to keep your chains and necklaces from getting tangled up, and you have a clear understanding that the key is to keep them separate from each other and also from itself, then what should you do to untangle that pile of chains that you already have?
Here is the best way that we have found to untangle a thin chains that has all kinds of knots in it:
Lay The Pile On A Hard Surface
When we say “pile” we mean that this is what it looks like when several chains are entangled.
Too often, people will hold the pile up to try to see what piece or end of chain to work with, and then start pulling to try and weave it through the mess.
Mistake.
Picking up the pile of tangled chains will only serve to make the knots tighter due to the stress and tension and weight. Keep the pile laying on a hard surface at all times and then:
Get Two Ball-point Pens
Ball point pens have a nice rounded point rather than a sharp point like a pin does. Using rounded ends to work with will ensure that you are creating a small amount of space within the knot which allows for the chains to become looser the more you work at it.
Poke The Knots
Gently poke at the knot while attempting to drag the pens in opposite directions at the same time.
You will get lots of ink marks on the surface that you are working on, so you can use pencils too if you would rather have pencil marks.
Anyway, using them like chopsticks, meaning working together in unison, the two pens will enable the chains to “relax” because they are not being lifted up to get even tighter while you work out the knots.
Keep working from the tightest center of a knot until it becomes looser and looser and then you will be able to see and follow one end of the chain until it becomes free.
Repeat for each chain that is in the pile.
Focus on one at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed. Don’t worry about getting ink on the chains, it will come off with some Dawn soap and hot water.
Final Thoughts
Many people are tempted to get angry at their knotted and twisted chains and are even tempted to take the entire pile to their jewelry store to sell as gold scrap.
Don’t.
Chains are one of the most expensive types of gold that you can buy gram per gram nowadays.
The only reason for selling your chain for scrap prices is if you have permanently ruined it or kinked it beyond repair.
Just follow the directions given and you will learn how to care for your chains and avoid frustration once you finally get them separated.