How do glow necklaces glow

A party and event favourite, glow necklaces have been around for some years but continue to grow in popularity.

How do the necklaces glow?

So, ‘How do glow necklaces glow?’ As with all glowsticks products the glow is caused by a reaction when two liquids are mixed. These liquids are kept apart in the necklace until you ‘activate’ the glow. This is usually done by bending the necklace – or pulling it through your hands at an angle. You will hear the glow necklace gently crack as you activate it – this is breaking the piece that keeps the two liquids separate and you start to see the necklaces glowing. Give it a quick shake to fully mix the liquids and that’s all you need to do.

Vibrant glowing necklace tubes

Glow necklaces use the process of chemiluminescence. The Oxford Dictionary defines this as:

"the emission of light during a chemical reaction which does not produce significant quantities of heat"

In glowsticks and glow necklaces this glowing reaction is made by mixing an alcohol and hydrogen peroxide that are both housed in the product and then mixed.

Necklace glowing

So now the necklace is glowing, it produces no heat and will glow under it’s own power for over 8 hours. The glowing duration can be affected by the outside temperature – the warmer it is the quicker the reaction and the brighter the glow – leading to a shorter glow duration. But if the outside temperature is low – for example in a fridge or freezer the necklace may barely glow at all but the duration could be a number of weeks!

That's how glow necklaces glow!