How to Make a Chain Necklace Longer

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There are going to be times when you fall in love with a perfect chain only to find out that it is too short and doesn’t fit properly around your neck. You don’t have to go out and buy a new chain and give up the one that you really want. With a few easy steps, you can fix the chain yourself by extending it so that it correctly fits your neck. All it takes is a couple of dollars and a few minutes of your time.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Long needle-nose pliers
4 mm or 6 mm jump rings

Step1

Buy some jump rings. For most regular-sized chains, you can use 4 mm or 6 mm jump rings. They cost about $4 and under and can be found at craft stores.

Step2

Prepare the jump rings. If you look closely, you'll see a tiny space on one side of the ring that needs to be spread apart in order for you to be able to slide it into the link in the chain. You can either take two long needle-nose pliers, put one on either side of the ring and spread the ring apart; or you can put your shirt over your thumb and, while holding one edge of the ring with your thumb, pulling the other side with the long needle-nose pliers. Open up as many jump rings as you need in order to have the chain fit around your neck.

Step3

Take the jump ring and link it with the end of your chain that doesn’t have the clasp on it. Now you have to close the jump ring. Do this by taking the long needle-nose pliers, placing it on the sides of the jump ring and slowly squeezing it together until the gap in the ring closes. Do this for each jump ring that you want to attach.

Step4

Measure the necklace around your neck to see that you have the correct length. If you don’t, continue to add more jump rings. If you do, you can close the necklace and wear it at your desired length.

Tips & Warnings

Don’t squeeze the jump rings too hard when you are closing them, otherwise you will end up making the ends overlap.
Take your time closing them. It’s easier to close it slowly then to have to open it up again to have the ends align.
Never try to open the jump rings with your fingers alone. You will end up hurting your fingers and/or tearing your nails. They're quite hard to open without extra help.