14K Gold Chains

Karat tells you how much of the metal is pure gold. The rest is alloy that adds strength and sets the color.

14K is the US standard for fine jewelry because it balances color, durability and gold content. It is the safe pick for a chain you will wear every day. Many of our chains also offer 10K, and many Cuban links offer 18K, so you can compare options on each product page. Full comparison: 10K vs 14K vs 18K gold.

Both are real 14K gold. The difference is inside the link:

• Solid: gold all the way through. Heavier, more durable, and the right choice for daily wear and for holding a pendant.
• Hollow: a gold shell with an empty center. You get the same width for much less gold, so it is lighter and costs less. The trade-off: hollow links can dent if crushed and are harder to repair.

We offer hollow Cuban, Franco and chino chains alongside solid ones; each product page says which. Nothing on this page is gold-bonded or plated. Here is what you are really buying with bonded chains.

A gold chain is priced mostly by its gold weight, so width and length matter more than anything else:

• Width adds weight fast. Wider links use thicker wire, so weight climbs much faster than width. Our 2mm Byzantine chain lists about 16 to 24 grams; the 9mm lists about 244 to 364 grams across the same lengths.
• Length adds weight in proportion. A 24" chain carries about 20% more gold than a 20" chain of the same style and width.
• Karat and build matter too. 14K weighs and costs more than the same chain in 10K; hollow costs less than solid.

Across this page, listed weights run from under 3 grams for a fine 2mm curb chain to over 500 grams for a 16mm Cuban. Our prices follow the gold market, so the shelves show today's price. Learn how to compare chains by the gram in our 14K gold price per gram guide.

• Cuban: rounded, interlocking links that lie flat. The classic men's chain, 3mm to 16mm.
• Franco: tight V-shaped links with a square profile. Strong for its width; a top pick for pendants.
• Figaro: a repeating pattern of short links and one long link; our pavé versions add a diamond-cut finish.
• Herringbone: flat, slinky links that lie like liquid gold. Store it flat so it doesn't kink.
• Byzantine: woven, three-dimensional links with real heft.
• Mariner and curb: mariner has oval links with a center bar; curb has flat, twisted links, like a flatter Cuban.
• Box, cable and paper clip: simple, light links. Box and cable are classic pendant chains; paper clip has long, open links.
• Bead and moon-cut: round or faceted beads, often worn with dog tags.
• Rope and tennis: rope twists strands into a spiral; tennis is a line of diamonds or moissanite in 14K gold.

For an everyday men's chain, 3mm to 5mm in Cuban, Franco or Figaro is easy to wear and strong enough for a pendant. For a statement chain, go 7mm and wider: a handmade Miami Cuban, a wide Byzantine or a Figaro. Lengths:

• 20": sits at the collarbone.
• 22": a little lower, the most versatile men's length.
• 24": upper chest; a good length for a pendant.

Wide chains sit higher on the neck, so add length as width grows. Between two lengths, choose the longer one: shortening a chain is a quick job, while adding length means a new piece. For Cuban widths, see the Cuban link width guide.

Most women choose 1.8mm to 3mm: a box, cable, Franco, paper clip or herringbone chain. Wear it alone, with a pendant, or layered.

• 16" to 18": close to the neck, the most worn lengths for a solo chain.
• 20": just below the collarbone, nice with a pendant or as the bottom layer.
• Layering: space chains about 2" apart (16", 18", 20") and mix textures, like a herringbone over a paper clip.

For a pendant, pick a chain that can carry it: box, cable, Franco and Cuban are all good choices. Browse gold pendants to pair.

Most of our handmade Cubans come in yellow, white or rose gold. Most other styles come in yellow, and several, including box, curb, Franco and cable, also come in white or rose; each product page shows the colors offered. Most product pages note that the chain is stamped for authenticity. Handmade Cuban links 7mm and wider are produced locally in Miami; machine-made 3mm to 6mm Cubans are imported from Italian factories. Want something we don't list? Start a custom chain request. Pay over time with Affirm, Klarna or Afterpay: 0% APR plans for those who qualify, subject to approval. See financing.