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How to Stop Your Necklace Clasp Moving to the Front (and Pendants Spinning)

“A necklace that keeps turning around isn't badly made; it is badly balanced. Once you understand that the heaviest point always wins the race to the front, every fix becomes obvious.”Her take

Why your necklace clasp keeps moving to the front

A chain settles with its heaviest point at the lowest spot, which on your body is the front of your chest. If the clasp and its jump rings weigh more than the pendant or the front of the chain, every movement nudges the clasp down and forward.

Two other things make it worse: chains that sit snugly on the slope of the neck, where every turn of your head rotates them, and clothes such as knits and scarves that grip the chain and drag it round.

Check the balance in ten seconds

Hold the necklace up by the middle of the chain, with the clasp hanging at the bottom, and then hold it by the clasp so the pendant hangs. Whichever end feels heavier or swings more decisively is the one that will end up at the front.

On plain chains with no pendant, a large lobster clasp is almost always the heaviest point. That is the most common cause.

Quick fixes you can do today

These cost little or nothing and solve most cases.

• Add weight at the front: thread a small charm or pendant onto the chain, heavier than the clasp.
• Lengthen the chain by 2-5cm with an extender, so it sits on your chest rather than the slope of your neck.
• Wear it over a smooth top, not a textured knit, or tuck it under a smooth layer.
• Fasten the clasp at the back, then gently move the chain so the clasp sits in the dip at the top of your spine.
• Tie long hair up or pull it forward over one shoulder so it doesn't drag the chain.

Choose the right length and chain type

Chains of 40-45cm (16-18 inches) suit most necks; very short chains around 35-40cm sit on the neck's curve and rotate more. If a chain constantly turns, try the next length up.

Chain style matters too. Fine cable and rope chains twist and roll easily. Flat curb, box, snake and figaro chains resist twisting and tend to stay in place. A chain with a little weight of its own is more stable than an ultra-fine one.

When you wear several necklaces

Layered chains pull each other round. Space the lengths at least 5cm apart, give the shortest chain the lightest clasp, and make sure each layer has a pendant or a slightly heavier front.

A layering clasp, which holds several chains apart at the back with one fastening, keeps them in order and stops one clasp dragging the others.

How to stop a pendant spinning or flipping

Pendants turn when the bail, the loop the chain passes through, is much bigger than the chain, or when the pendant is flat and light. A bail that fits the chain more snugly reduces spinning.

Pendants with two attachment points, connected to the chain on each side, can't flip. Heavier pendants also hang more steadily than very thin ones.

When to ask a jeweller

If you love the necklace and nothing works, a jeweller can swap a heavy lobster clasp for a smaller spring ring, add a soldered extension, or shorten or lengthen the chain. These are usually quick repairs.

Ask them to check the jump rings at the same time. A worn or open jump ring next to the clasp is a common weak point where chains break.

Questions people ask

The takeaway

The heaviest point goes to the front. Make the pendant heavier than the clasp, lengthen a short chain, choose a flat chain, and keep knits from dragging it round.

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