Pearl Necklace Length: Which Suits Which Neckline

Six lengths have established themselves as names in the pearl trade: collar, choker, princess, matinee, opera and rope. The centimetre figures vary by a few centimetres from house to house, but the logic behind them is the same everywhere: the deeper the neckline, the longer the necklace may fall, and the closer the pearls sit to the throat, the more the face and neck draw the eye. Anyone who knows where the six positions fall on their own body chooses faster and with more confidence.

The six lengths at a glance

The names date from a time when pearls were worn at fixed hours of the day: matinee for the afternoon, opera for the evening. Today they describe only the length, and the occasions have become fluid. The table summarises where each length falls and what it suits. The centimetre values follow the figures given by German-speaking pearl retailers and American pearl houses, where the rope length begins at 90 cm or only at 112 cm depending on the house.

Collar and choker close to the throat

A collar of 30 to 32 cm sits tight against the throat and needs it to be visible: off-the-shoulder dresses, strapless evening gowns or a very deep V. Pearl retailers describe it as a Victorian-style necklace, often in several rows, and it is precisely this elaboration that makes it an evening piece. Against a polo neck or a closed blouse it disappears.

The choker of 35 to 40 cm is the more adaptable little sister. It sits at the base of the neck, frames the face and works equally well with an open collar, a crew neck and a boat neck. American pearl houses give it as 14 to 16 inches, that is 35.6 to 40.6 cm, and describe it as suiting everything from everyday wear to formal evening dress. A choker of Akoya pearls (Japanese saltwater cultured pearls, mostly 6 to 8 mm) is therefore a serious alternative to princess length when a slender, long neck is to be shown off.

Princess suits almost everyone

The princess length of 42 to 46 cm rests on the collarbone or just below it, depending on neck circumference. The American standard of 18 inches equals 45.7 cm and is regarded by pearl houses such as Pearl Paradise and The Pearl Source as the classic length for pearl necklaces. German-speaking retailers give 42 to 47 cm, and the Swiss glossary from muau calls it the best-selling necklace length in the world.

Princess length is the best-selling necklace length worldwide. It rests on the collarbone or just below it and suits almost all necklines and body shapes.

muau.ch, glossary of necklace lengths

The reason for its popularity is practical: the necklace sits over the clothing with a crew neck, shirt blouse or polo neck, and below the neckline with a V-neck or an open-collared blouse. It does not get in the way when sitting, does not dangle into the teacup and does not vanish inside a collar. Mikimoto lists its 18-inch strand of Akoya pearls from 6.5 to 8 mm with an 18-carat gold clasp at 5,100 US dollars, and according to Pearl Paradise the 7 to 7.5 mm Akoya pearl is by a wide margin the best-selling strand size, so this is the measure a first necklace is judged against. What such a strand costs in Europe is set out in What does a pearl necklace cost?.

Matinee and opera for deep necklines and evenings

The matinee of 50 to 60 cm ends at the middle of the breastbone. It is the length for a V-neck, for wide crew necks and for an open blouse under a blazer, because the pearls then lie on bare skin rather than on the edge of the fabric. American retailers call it the second most popular length, at 20 to 24 inches, that is 51 to 61 cm.

The opera length of 70 to 90 cm reaches below the breastbone or onto the upper abdomen. Worn as a single strand it is the necklace for the evening and for high-necked dresses; doubled, it becomes a two-row choker of 35 to 45 cm: one necklace, two appearances. A German pearl retailer calls it the necklace of royal length. With a deep V-neck a single opera strand falls exactly along the line of the neckline and lengthens it to the eye.

Rope: wrap it, knot it, split it

From about 90 cm the rope begins; one German retailer sets the boundary only at 112 cm, and American houses at 35 to 36 inches or only at 51 inches, depending on the house. A rope is rarely worn straight: doubled it becomes a matinee, tripled a choker, knotted at chest height a necklace in the style of the 1920s. Many ropes have hidden clasps so that the strand can be split into short necklaces and a bracelet.

Anyone knotting a rope should not let the pearls rub against one another. Nacre measures only 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale (scratch hardness from 1 to 10), about the hardness of a fingernail. A loose overhand knot that is undone again after wearing is harmless; a knot pulled tight for weeks abrades the surface. The silk between the pearls suffers too; when it is due for replacement is covered in Having a pearl necklace restrung.

Pearl size and pearl count per length

Pearl size changes how a length reads. According to the GIA, cultured pearls range from 2 to 16 mm in diameter depending on the species of mollusc. For a princess strand, 7 to 7.5 mm Akoya is the classic measure: large enough to read as pearls from a distance, small enough not to dominate. From 9 mm the same length looks markedly more present, and 10 to 12 mm South Sea or Tahitian pearls fill a neckline even at choker length. Which pearl type suits which budget and type of wearer is compared in Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian or freshwater.

The number of pearls per necklace can be calculated. Unknotted, about 3.63 pearls of 7 mm fit on one inch, which is around 65 pearls on 45.7 cm. When knotting, a silk knot is added between each pearl, taking up as much as 0.6 mm depending on the thickness of the thread, so a knotted 45 cm strand of 7 mm pearls comes to roughly 59 to 64 pearls. One documented Akoya strand of 58 pearls at 7 mm measured 41.7 cm knotted. The table gives calculated ranges for 7 mm pearls, knotted on silk.

Pearl retailers point out that the total length of a finished necklace can deviate from the nominal length by up to 6 mm (a quarter of an inch), because the pearls within one size grade are not identical.

Layering and rules for combining

Several pearl necklaces worn together only work if the lengths do not get in each other's way. The Pearl Source specifically recommends a 16-inch choker over a 20- or 24-inch necklace, which corresponds to 40 cm with 51 or 61 cm, a gap of about 10 to 20 cm. Strands set closer together catch on one another when walking and lie on top of each other instead of one below the other.

• Choker plus matinee: 40 cm and 55 cm, both single-row, with a crew neck or V-neck
• Princess plus opera: 45 cm and 80 cm; the long strand may have larger pearls
• Opera doubled: 80 cm worn twice around gives a two-row choker without a second necklace
• Rope knotted: 112 cm knotted once at chest height, with nothing else at the throat
• Earrings: studs with a collar or choker, drops may hang with a matinee or opera

How to find your own length

For a gift without a fitting, the Swiss glossary names 45 cm for women and 55 cm for men as the safe choice, while American retailers recommend 18 to 22 inches for men, that is 46 to 56 cm. With a necklace that has an extender chain of a few centimetres, the doubt all but vanishes, because the wearer chooses for herself between princess and a short matinee. Anyone still wondering whether pearls may be given to a man will find the answer in Men and pearls.