Men’s chain necklaces come in all styles and designs, with something for everyone. At William May we have one of the biggest online and in-store collections of heavy chains and necklaces for men. With regular new styles in, we have something that suits every fashion style, whether you want something discrete or whether you want to make a statement, perhaps you are looking for a few pieces to layer together or something to wear every day. Choosing the perfect chain necklace is about picking the right chain style, width and length.
Chain Length Guide
It can be difficult to tell how a chain is going to look from just knowing the measurements. To give you an idea of the chain lengths and how this will look you can compare to our handy guide below. All our chains have their length listed in inches so you can easily compare them with our chain length chart.
Short Chain Length -18 Inches
A short chain is 18 inches and considered quite short. We recommend knowing your collar size if you want to order one of these to make sure it will fit. These shorter chains are very contemporary and can be styled over or under your clothes. We think they look particularly stylish with a crew neckline.
Medium Chain Length - 20-24 Inches
This is our most popular chain length. Typically, a 20–24-inch chain will sit between the first and second buttons on a collared shirt. 22-24 inches may look slightly more relaxed as the chain will hang slightly lower on your chest. At this length, these chains can be worn easily under or over your clothes. If you are looking to add a pendant to your chains, such as a religious symbol or an ID tag, 20-24 inches chains are the ideal length.
Long Chain Length – 26-30 inches
Typically, longer chains are worn over your clothes for a more eye-catching look. Longer chains can be worn with or without a pendant. At William May we have chains that go up to 32 inches in length.
Chain Length Chart
It is easy to see where a chain is going to sit by using the image below. This will vary slightly depending on your collar size. If you have an 18-inch neck size, then an 18-inch chain is not going to fit. However, if you want the look of a short chain necklace a 20-22 inch would be about right.
What length is Connell’s chain?
If you are looking for a chain similar to the famous Connell chain, we’d recommend 20-22 inches for a similar look.
Chain Thickness
While chain lengths are measured in inches, the width or thickness of the chain is measured in millimetres. The thickness of the chain usually scales up with the length, so that shorter chains are often finer and longer chains slightly wider. All our chain necklaces start at 2mm thickness and we can supply up to a 22mm thickness.
The width of the chain is as important as the length when it comes to what style and how subtle you want the chain to be. We recommend choosing under 12mm if the chain is going to be worn under your shirt; if it’s wider than 12mm it will probably still be noticeable beneath your shirt.
Anything over 15mm is a wide chain design and will be heavy too.
6mm vs 11mm
Chain Styles
The type of links and shape can make a huge difference to how a chain looks. Some link types lend themselves to longer lengths and wider link sizes, for example Cuban link chains look fantastic with thick heavy links.
Our most popular link style is curb. Our charming range includes classic shapes such as Belcher and Figaro chains. However, we also stock some unique chain designs such as Stars and Bars, Hexagon Belcher and Byzantine.
You can read our comprehensive guide on all popular styles of gold chains that we stock, what makes each link different and how to style your chain jewellery.
At William May, we have something to suit every taste whether you are looking for a suave Connell gold chain or a classic sterling silver curb chain. Shop our range of new and pre-owned heavy chains and classic men’s necklaces.
