SearchHow to untangle a necklace, and fix a kinked chain
From the counter at TraxNYC, 47th Street.
The short answer
- Loosen before you pull. Open the clasp, lay the chain flat, put a drop of baby oil on the knot and push two pins apart from its center, a little at a time.
- Never pull the ends. A knot pulled tight stretches a link open.
- Wash it after. Warm water and a little dish soap take the oil out. Skip the oil on pearl, opal and turquoise.
- A kink is not a knot. A solid link can be eased straight; a hollow link folds, and a fold is a job for the bench.
A knot that will not open? Talk to a personal jeweler: call 212-872-9692 or text a photo, seven days.
How to untangle a necklace, step by step
What you need: two straight pins, sewing needles or wooden toothpicks; baby oil or olive oil; a flat, light surface such as a white plate; good light.
- Open the clasp and lay it flat. Spread the chain on the plate so both ends are free and you can see every loop.
- Push in, not out. Press the chain on either side toward the knot; that slackens it. Pulling away from it tightens it.
- One drop of oil, on the knot itself, so the links slide past each other.
- Two pins, pushed apart. Set both points in the center of the knot and ease them outward. Turn the plate and work from another side as the loops open.
- Feed the end through. Once a loop is open, pass the free end back through it; never pull on the two ends.
- Two chains knotted together: open the outer knots first and work toward the middle.
- Wash and dry. Warm water, three drops of plain dish soap, a rinse and a full dry, the way how to clean a gold chain lays it out.
Most knots give way in a few minutes. If one tightens instead of opening, stop: the next pull is the one that stretches a link.
Which chains knot, and which kink
About half of the chains on our women's gold chains page are narrower than 3 mm, and the thin ones find a knot first. A heavy flat link rarely knots; a thin hollow one kinks.
| Chain | Knots | Kinks | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine cable and rolo, under 2 mm | Easily | Rarely | The pins and the oil, slowly: the links are small. |
| Box | Sometimes | At a sharp bend | A crushed box link stays marked; do not force it straight. |
| Rope, solid | Sometimes | Rarely | Work with the twist, not against it. |
| Rope, hollow | Sometimes | Yes | One of the two chains our styles guide names for kinking. |
| Franco | Rarely | At a hard bend | A kink in a Franco is hard to take out. |
| Miami Cuban and curb | Rarely | Thin hollow Cubans do | A solid Cuban holds its line; a thin hollow one kinks. |
| Tennis chain | The settings catch | At a bent setting | Never pull; check every stone after. |
The trade's experience with these links, and what our chain styles guide says about kinks; not a test we ran. Widths read from our listings, September 28, 2026.
How to fix a kinked chain
Hang the chain by one end. A twist rolls out on its own; a kink stays, a bend in one link that will not fall straight.
From the counter
“Hold a Cuban up by one end. A well-made one hangs straight down: the links do not spin, twist or curve. Getting that right comes down to who made the chain and how they made it.”
A solid chain: lay it flat, hold the links on either side of the bend and ease it straight with your fingers, a little at a time. No pliers: they crush a link faster than they straighten it.
A hollow chain: a hollow link is a skin of gold around air, and bent past its curve it folds. Pushing the fold back weakens the skin, and it can crack along the crease. Bring it in; the desk tells you what the bench can do once it sees the chain. Hollow vs solid gold chains explains the build.
Bought it from us? Text or call 212-872-9692 with your order number and clear photos. The optional warranty at checkout covers manufacturing defects only; after that, in our shipping policy's words: "Lifetime Support: Even after your warranty expires, TraxNYC will perform repairs at the minimum cost possible."
How to keep necklaces from tangling
- Close the clasp before it goes in the box.
- One chain per slot or hook. Chains thrown in together knot.
- Traveling: thread a fine chain through a drinking straw and close the clasp outside it, or lay it flat in a folded cloth.
- Layering: wear lengths far enough apart that they do not ride on each other; the necklace length chart has the spacing.
- Off for sleep and the gym. Sheets and shirts are where a fine chain or a tennis chain catches and knots.
The fine chains are on women's gold chains and women's gold necklaces, the heavier links on men's gold chains, and the diamond rows on tennis chains.
Talk to a personal jeweler
Knot too tight, or a kink you cannot read? Send us a photo.
Our personal jewelers on 47th Street answer by phone and text seven days.
Questions
How do you untangle a necklace without pins?
Two wooden toothpicks do the same job, and so does the tip of a sewing needle. Keep the chain flat, put a drop of oil on the knot, and push the points apart from its center. Fingernails work on a loose knot; never pull the ends.
Does baby oil hurt a gold chain?
Not solid gold. It washes out with warm water and a little dish soap; dry the chain fully after. Skip the oil on pearl, opal and turquoise, which soak it up.
How do I untangle a tennis necklace?
Slowly, flat, with pins and no pulling: the settings catch on each other, and a hard pull can bend one. When it is free, run a fingernail over every stone. If one moves, stop wearing it and bring it in.
Why do my necklaces keep tangling?
Fine chains, stored together, worn layered or slept in. A thin, supple chain folds back on itself; give each one its own slot and close the clasp before it goes away.
Can a kinked gold chain be fixed?
A bend in a solid chain usually eases out by hand. A fold in a hollow link does not come out clean; that is bench work. Text a photo to 212-872-9692 and a jeweler tells you which you have.
Keep reading
More answers from the counter: all TraxNYC buyer's guides.
A knot that will not give, or a kink you are not sure about: bring it to 64 W 47th St, Booth F-1, Monday to Friday 11 am to 6 pm ET, Saturday and Sunday 12 pm to 4 pm ET, or text a photo to 212-872-9692 first; see our showroom page.