Ugh.
It’s the actual worst: you go to put on your favorite necklace, the one you swear you put away nicely and neatly, and it’s knotted and tangled up like a teenager’s stomach on a first date. For many people, this spells disaster. There’s no way you’re going to wear messed up jewelry, so the necklace gets exiled or, in extreme cases, relegated to the nearest trash can.
Luckily for you, we at Dickinson Jewelers are experts at untangling necklaces! We’ve compiled a few tips for you, but if you’re seriously stuck, bring in your jewelry and we’ll help you out.
First, you’re going to want to set the stage. Put your jewelry on a flat surface and gather some baby powder and straight pins. If you wear reading glasses, you’ll definitely want those as well, and for the more-inclined-to-frustration, you might want to put on some tunes to soothe you. (Might we recommend the soundtrack to Disney’s “Tangled”?)
Pour a small amount of baby powder onto the knot. This helps lessen the friction between the two strands of the chain. You might want to gently rub the powder into the knot, depending on how snarled it is.
Next, take two straight pins (thumbtacks or needles also work) and gently insert them into the knot. Slowly use the pins to unravel the snarl. This may take several minutes, but the payoff will be fabulous!
Once your necklace is untangled, clean it to remove any residue. The way you clean depends on the type of chain and stone, so check out our education page for guidance.
When it’s fresh and clean, your necklace is ready to be worn! Enjoy the knowledge that you’ve saved your favorite chain, and feel no shame about bragging to your friends about what a jewelry genius you are!
And as a celebration of your hard work, here’s a tip to help keep your necklaces from getting snagged again. When you’re traveling with your necklace, insert one strand of the chain into a drinking straw.
If at-home detangling didn’t help, don’t cry – bring your necklace into our Prince Frederick or Dunkirk locations, and we’ll see what we can do to help!