tiny annoyances

May 26, 2005 12:02 PM

I wear a lovely necklace. It's an 18in sterling silver chain with a little teardrop pendant on it. I love it, but one thing that annoys me is how often the clasp slips down to the front. Now that I have started paying attention to it, I notice it about every 15 minutes. What I'm also noticing is that it ALWAYS comes down on the same side of my neck. This begs the question: How? Do I turn my head to one side more than the other? Am I somehow assymetrical?
posted by SheIsMighty to grab bag (19 comments total)

Begging another question: do I know how to use Spell Check?

I meant: "asymmetrical". Ooops.
posted by SheIsMighty at 12:05 PM on May 26, 2005

No...the most likely answer is that there's something to the link pattern of the chain or the shape of the clasp that makes it slip one way against your skin more easily than the other. It's like a little ratchet--so small that you can't really feel it, obviously, but enough that over time, the necklace migrates in one direction.
posted by LairBob at 12:08 PM on May 26, 2005

I have no idea about the metrical capabilities of your ass.

However, my guess would be that the clasp, not you, is assymetrical. To test this, have someone else wear the necklace for two hours (approx. eight clasp slips), and see what side of the tester's neck the clasp slips to.
posted by orthogonality at 12:09 PM on May 26, 2005

If you were to wear it with the clasp facing the other direction, (i.e. useing your nondominant hand to close the clasp - assuming you usually close it with the dominant hand ) would it still slide in the same direction? Perhaps the chain is frictionally directional? (I just made that up - Pat. Pending)
posted by R. Mutt at 12:11 PM on May 26, 2005

Might it have something to do with the chain? Something like how the links of the chain are put together in such a way that it makes it fall in one direction easier than another... Could you put the chain on backwards and see if it still happens on the same side?
posted by pwb503 at 12:12 PM on May 26, 2005

You guys are brilliant! I never would have thought of flipping it around! I just flipped the necklace around and I'll report back in a couple of hours and let you know if it starts walking down the other side of my neck.
posted by SheIsMighty at 12:21 PM on May 26, 2005

Of course, the other possibility is that some (*cough*) "intelligent" force is at the center of this mystery ...
posted by R. Mutt at 12:58 PM on May 26, 2005

If you want it to stop slipping, you can put another smaller pendant on or near the clasp. The weight will cause the clasp to hang down the nape of your neck a bit and keep the chain stabilized.
posted by cali at 1:09 PM on May 26, 2005

You could also just anchor the pendant to one link, either by having someone add another small loop 'twixt the chain and pendant, or by opening up the pendant ring (if it joins in the appropriate manner), and closing it again through a link in the chain. A watchmaker would probably be up to the task. Working on jewelry always depends on the quality of the metal in the original piece, so you have to make a judgement call on whether any piece you bend is going to break.

I think it's rather likely you are both somewhat asymmetrical, and also move in an asymmetrical manner, no offense.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 1:45 PM on May 26, 2005

Just so long as you make a silent wish about a boy you like before you slip the clasp back up to its normal place, you'll be OK (former 5th grade girl speaking).
posted by matildaben at 1:49 PM on May 26, 2005

As a Jeweler, I can tell you you won't find a good solution. Hate to break it to you but all chains do this unless the pendant is soldered in place. The simple reason is the weight of the clasp is more than the rest of the chain.
posted by CCK at 2:04 PM on May 26, 2005

There is always the option of trying a very small amount of superglue...

Semi-serious, since this is the sort of dumb thing I would try if something bugged me enough :) I use a lot of the stuff and sometimes get it on my skin. In small enough quantities (much much less than a drop), it aheres stuff firmly to the skin, but not so firmly that it hurts if it gets pulled off (such as if the necklace caught on something), it'd just take some dead skin cells with it, like exfoliating :)

Hey, my advice may be bad, but it's FREE! And you can't argue with FREE! :-)
posted by -harlequin- at 2:17 PM on May 26, 2005

I have a chain without a clasp, but with two slightly larger links permanently connected. The chain/pendant is symmetric, so there's no pattern to how I put it on (i.e., which way the clasp lies). The two large links invariably work their way down the right side of my neck to the pendant. I always thought it was because I was righthanded and was therefore moving that side of my body more.
posted by joaquim at 2:30 PM on May 26, 2005

2nd thoughts..

CCK is dead on for the cause. Linking the pendant directly to the chain will affect the way it swings and twists. If it flips to the side, it will have more of a tendency to stay that way. The solution which would result in the best movement for the pendant, and stop the clasp movement would be to put in larger links to either side of where the pendant hangs on the chain, in effect making stops. It's labor intensive, precludes the changing of chains, and with "chains" that don't use links, it's not applicable.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 4:36 PM on May 26, 2005

tiny annoyance
posted by Eideteker at 5:04 PM on May 26, 2005

(I didn't mean that to be nasty, but you misused it *twice* in a very short time. Apologies for the off-topic replies).
posted by Eideteker at 5:06 PM on May 26, 2005

You could use a small transparent adheasive medical strip on the back of your neck.
posted by krisjohn at 5:12 PM on May 26, 2005

Would it be possible to accept that the clasp will gravitate and attach the pendant to the clasp? That is, if the clasp is not out of scale with the pendant and would not distract attention from it.
Or duct tape :-)
posted by Cranberry at 9:42 PM on May 26, 2005

I wanted to give an update on my test. I flipped the necklace around and the clasp still came down on the same side as it did yesterday. I think I'll move on to bigger things to worry about and just make a wish every time I move the clasp back to where it belongs (thanks, matildaben, I had forgotten all about that).
posted by SheIsMighty at 4:18 AM on May 27, 2005