Size guide

Necklace lengths

A chain length is usually the whole chain laid flat, clasp to clasp. Where it falls depends on the neck and shoulders it sits on; this is roughly where each length lands on most adults.

Between two lengths? Hold a piece of string at the length you are thinking of, clasp end to clasp end, and look in a mirror.

Bracelet fit

Wrap a soft tape measure around your wrist just below the wrist bone, snug but not tight. No tape? Use a strip of paper, mark where it meets, and lay it against a ruler. Then add ½ in for a close fit, or 1 in for one that moves.

That is for a bracelet with a clasp. A stretch bracelet on elastic rolls on over the hand and sits close, so read its size against your wrist as it is.

Strands with a drop

Some pieces, rosaries among them, are a loop with a drop: the loop sits like a necklace and the drop is the short strand that hangs from it. Read the loop against the necklace lengths above; the drop hangs below wherever the loop falls.

A loop with no clasp has to pass over your head, so it runs longer. Where a piece has been measured, its page lists the measurements under Size & fit; if it doesn't, ask us.

Earring posts and closures

Each pair's page names its material under Materials & care, and any note about nickel sits beside the Add to bag button. If you are sensitive to a metal, ask before you order and we will tell you what we know about the posts on that pair. The care guide says how each material wears.

The closures you may see:

Push back

A small back slides onto a straight post. The usual closure on a stud.

Hook

A curved wire through the ear, often with a small stopper on the end.

Lever back

A hinged loop that clicks shut behind the ear.

Hinged hoop

The hoop itself opens and snaps closed.