How to Wear a Pendant Necklace

What is a pendant necklace?

A pendant necklace is the perfect piece to help you elevate your look. Pendants are accessories crafted in metal, or sometimes with diamonds or gemstones, that are designed to be threaded onto a chain necklace. They can be dainty and minimalist, or large and eye-catching, taking form in any number of shapes or symbols. 

While they’re commonly associated with boho style, pendant necklaces are perfectly modern and we love to style them for a chic minimalist look. You can wear a pendant necklace to bring extra interest to so many looks, from a chic blazer at the office, to a fabulous dress for a lunch, or even your cosy jumper at home.

What is the difference between a pendant and a necklace? 

The difference between a pendant and a necklace , is that a necklace refers to the whole piece of jewellery worn around your neck – it may be a chain necklace , a necklace with a pendant, or a necklace with diamonds, gemstones, pearls or other design elements crafted into it. 

A pendant is a decorative piece of jewellery that can be added to a necklace chain , bracelet or bangle, and which hangs down to add extra movement and interest to your jewellery look.

Some of the most popular pendant styles include initial pendantszodiac pendants , engravable pendants,lockets, and symbolic pendants in the shape of stars, the moon, a love heart, or a key, to name a few.

Which chain length is best for pendants?

To determine the best chain length for holding your pendant, first decide how you’ll wear it. Do you like to keep it simple with a single necklace, or layer up a few pieces at once?

If you love to layer necklaces, we recommend wearing your pendant on your longest chain. This will anchor your look and form the focal point for your layers. 

A chain around 50cm – 60cm in length will fall just below your collar bone or to your upper chest, allowing you to layer choker necklaces and shorter chains above it for a tiered look. 

A 45cm chain is one of the most popular lengths, falling about level or just above your collarbone, making it the perfect length if you want to wear your pendant necklace alone. 

Many of our chains are adjustable by 5cm, allowing you to tailor your look to suit your necklace layers and outfit each day. 

How to Wear Pendants

1. Create a cluster

Creating a layered pendant look allows you to personalise your style and create meaning with your jewellery. We love to style a dainty cluster, for a look with interest and movement that is still chic, modern, and versatile. 

It’s all about making your look your own, choosing pendants that reflect your personality and style. Layer 2 – 3 pendants onto one chain for a multi-dimensional look that isn’t too OTT. Simply layer your pendants in order of size, with your largest pendant at the back of the stack, so that each one can be seen. 

To ensure your look is polished, stick to the same metal colour for each pendant and match them back to your chain colour. Consider your pendant shapes too, and create a cohesive look by pairing up pieces with similar curved or straight edges. If you’d like to add some colour or sparkle, choose one or two dainty pieces featuring diamond, cubic zirconia, or a coloured gem. 

And pendants aren’t just for women – we love to see a guy rocking a chic addition to his chain necklace, too. Our advice for men is to keep it simple with a pendant in sterling silver or gold, perhaps with an engraving for treasure-forever appeal.

If you’re a bit unsure where to start, we’ve taken the guesswork out of it for you with our specially curated pendant necklace sets.

We’ve styled these sets for effortless polish, and so that each set tells a unique story. Wear them alone for an instantly elevated look, or layer up with chokers and chain necklaces for a bolder take. 

2. Personalise your pendants

Make your pendant truly unique to you with an engraving. This extra touch will make your pendant unlike anyone else’s, and by making your piece so personal, you’ll want to wear it every day. 

The most popular way of engraving pendants is with your initials – either your first name or full initials. Many people also love to wear their partner’s or kids’ initials, or have a special word or date inscribed. 

At Medley we offer a range of engravable pendants and jewellery. All engraving is done by laser for high-definition results, in our workshop in Brisbane, Australia.

3. Match with someone special

Imbue your jewellery with extra meaning, by wearing matching pendants with your partner, best friend, sister, mum or daughter. A cute idea is to simply wear matching pendants, but we love the idea of wearing pendants engraved with each other’s initials for extra sentiment.