While you may be compelled to yank at the chain to untangle the knot, doing so can cause irreversible damage. To avoid that, we’ll see how to store store necklaces and keep them from tangling.
Keep necklaces from tangling
The first thing to understand is why do necklaces get tangled in the first place. Most of the time, it happens because they rub against items of clothing or other accessories. With that said, let’s delve into the best ways to prevent this exasperating situation.
How to store necklaces without them tangling
- The good-old-fashioned jewelry box
This is by far the most common way how to store necklaces, but if your box doesn’t have individual compartments, your jewelry can rub together, becoming a knotted mess of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings.
- Talk about a nightmare.
One way to get around this is to wrap each individual piece to keep them separate. For this, you can use tissue paper, plastic wrap, a microfiber cloth, or keep it in the original bag. Simply lay your chain flat on the material and roll it up.
Jewelry boxes are a great way to keep your items all in one place, away from prying eyes and protected from the elements.
- The straw method
The straw method is a tried-and-true hack how to store your necklaces collection without it tangling.
It involves threading each necklace through a drinking straw and making a small slit to hook the top of the necklace and keep it in place.
You can use it for both traveling and storing your necklaces inside your jewelry box. While it’s not the most glamorous solution, it certainly does the job.
- Hang your necklaces
Simple but effective, hanging your necklaces is one of the easiest ways on how to store your necklaces without them tangling. Necklace hangers come in all shapes and sizes, or you can even make your own by repurposing a wall-mounted key holder.
When choosing your necklace hanger, make sure it’s made of a metal that ranks lower or equal to gold on the Mohs hardness scale. This will ensure the hooks or rails don’t tarnish your jewelry. You can opt for metals such as brass, copper, aluminum, or zinc.
Necklaces on hangers are less likely to tangle since they’ll all be separate. They’re also convenient, as you can see all your necklaces at once.
How to wear 2 necklaces without them tangling
Use a collar separator to avoid entanglement
A necklace spacer is an ingenious solution that promises to keep your necklaces from becoming a giant tangled mess.
These tools use a system of spaced-out clasps and hooks that keep each chain at a distance from each other. They work by hooking each necklace to its corresponding clasp, allowing you to pull off the layered necklace trend tangle-free.
Wear necklaces of different lengths
You can keep your necklaces from tangling by wearing chains of different lengths.
This not only looks great when layered but stops the chains from getting into a knot around your neck, since they are less likely to rub against each other.
You can pair short and long necklaces you already have at home, or you can get a necklace extender from a jewelry store to easily change the lengths of your necklaces.
This is one of the easiest ways to layer necklaces without them tangling.
Mix chains
Another useful tip when it comes to layering necklaces is to mix up your chains. By this we mean chains made from different materials, in different styles, or with different size links. You can also layer necklaces of different textures and thicknesses.
Since metals get knotted with other metals more easily, you can try layering a metal necklace with a leather, bead, or velvet necklace.
This hack can be hard to get right if you don’t combine them well. A good idea is to start with the lightest material at the top, then work your way down.
How to get a necklace untangled
If you’re dealing with a knotted-jewelry fiasco, there are a few ways you can untangle your necklaces without damaging them.
- Lubricate the knot
Add a lubricant such as baby oil, mineral oil, or olive oil to help loosen the knot. You can also use baby powder if you don’t like the idea of your necklace getting oily. If the knot is still too tight, gently massage until it begins to come undone.
- Use a needle or hair pin
Insert a fine sewing needle or straight pin into the center of the knot and gently work it to separate the chains.
- Apply window cleaner
Window cleaner also works to safely lubricate your necklace. Place your necklace in some Tupperware and apply window cleaner to the knot using a cotton swab. Then place the container on something that vibrates—a washing machine or tumble dryer is ideal—and wait a few minutes for the vibrations to untangle the knot.
If none of these tips work, you can always take your necklaces to a jeweler, where they’ll be able to safely untangle them.