A FEW HELPFUL TIPS FOR HOW TO UNTANGLE A NECKLACE

This past weekend there was a necklace I really wanted to wear out but I was having the hardest time getting it untangled. Will had no idea what he was signing up for when he offered to relieve me of my frustration (I should have added patience to the list of things I love about him) and we spent the next two hours trying all kinds of things to untangle the necklace (seriously, he is a saint). I shared our efforts on Instagram stories and a ton of you wrote in with suggestions for how to untangle a necklace which were a huge help! When we finally untangled it, we felt so accomplished you would have thought we’d won the World Series or gotten a perfect score on the SAT. In any event, I learned a number of new tips for how to untangle a necklace and wanted to list them here, if only for the next time I find myself in the same predicament!

how to untangle a necklace on design darling

Linen jewelry tray  //  J.Crew locket (similar)  //  A.Jaffe map necklace  //  Moon & Meadow disc pendant

  1. Lay the necklace down on a flat surface. We both made the mistake of trying to hold the necklace in the air but you really need a hard surface if you’re going to crack the code.
  2. Unclasp the necklace and use Scotch tape to secure one end to the table. This was a game-changer in our personal quest.
  3. Use a safety pin or thumb tack to gently pull apart knots. A bobby pin may work for less fine chains while a threading needle may be necessary for extremely fine chains.
  4. Apply baby powder or olive oil to the necklace to lubricate tight knots. We didn’t have baby powder on hand so we used olive oil. A ton of you recommended this step and I never would have thought of it! Afterwards you’ll need to wash your necklace with gentle soap and water.

And a few additional tips for untangling a necklace that we didn’t try but will keep in mind for next time:

  1. You can try using a screwdriver instead of a pin to pull apart knots (but I’d be careful doing this with anything dainty!).
  2. You can use Windex instead of baby powder or olive oil.
  3. Place the necklace on top of a washing machine. Apparently the vibrations can help loosen a particularly tight knot!

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