How Big Is It, Really? Chains and Diamonds at True Size on Your Phone

A photo can't tell you how wide a 10 mm chain really is, where a 22 inch chain sits on a man, or how big a 1 carat diamond looks. This page can. Open it on your phone and every piece below is drawn at actual size, next to a real quarter.

What does a 5 mm, 6 mm or 10 mm chain look like on the neck?

Width changes a chain more than anything else: a 3 mm chain reads fine and quiet, a 10 mm chain fills the collar. Tap a width to see it on the neck at 22 inches, and drawn at its true width beside a quarter just below. The slider goes from 1 to 30 mm, and a No. 2 pencil is there if that is easier to picture.

What buyers pick: about 8 in 10 gold chains bought here in the last six months were 4 mm or thinner. The wide ones, 6 mm and up, are the statement pieces.

AI picture: a 4 mm Miami Cuban in yellow gold, 22 inches, on an average build.

Widths people look up

2 mm3 mm4 mm5 mm6 mm8 mm10 mm12 mm14 mm18 mm

Shown on our 4 mm Miami Cuban, 22 inches. Every gold chain page on TraxNYC carries the same tool, set to that chain.

Chain width in millimeters and inches

Width	Inches	Width	Inches
2 mm	0.08 in	10 mm	0.39 in
3 mm	0.12 in	12 mm	0.47 in
4 mm	0.16 in	14 mm	0.55 in
5 mm	0.20 in	16 mm	0.63 in
6 mm	0.24 in	18 mm	0.71 in
8 mm	0.31 in	20 mm	0.79 in

Shop by style: Miami Cuban chains · rope chains · every gold chain. More on width: the chain width chart and Miami Cuban sizes, weights and lengths.

Where does a 20, 22 or 24 inch chain sit?

Length decides where a chain lands, and where a pendant hangs. Tap a length to see it on a man in a black t-shirt, from a 16 inch chain at the base of the neck to a 30 inch chain toward the stomach.

16″18″20″22″24″26″28″30″

At 22 inches it lands at mid chest, the length men buy most here.

AI picture: a 6 mm Miami Cuban in yellow gold, on an average build. A bigger neck sits the same chain higher.

Where each chain length lands on an average build

Length	Where it lands
16 in	At the base of the neck
18 in	At the collarbone
20 in	Just below the collarbone
22 in	At mid chest, the length men buy most here
24 in	At the lower chest
26 in	At the deep chest
28 in	Below the chest
30 in	Toward the stomach

A bigger neck sits the same chain higher; the surest guide is a chain you already own, laid straight and measured end to end. Wearing a pendant? Which chain fits a pendant. More: the men's chain length guide.

How big is a 1 carat diamond?

About 6.5 mm across for a round. A carat is a weight, not a size, so the same carat looks different in every cut: a marquise or an oval of the same weight is longer and reads bigger on the finger. Tap a cut to compare it at the same weight, or slide from a quarter carat to 6 carats.

Shown on our 1 carat round engagement ring. Engagement rings on TraxNYC show their own center stone this way.

Round diamond size by carat

Carat	Across	Carat	Across
0.25 ct	4.1 mm	1.5 ct	7.4 mm
0.5 ct	5.1 mm	2 ct	8.1 mm
0.75 ct	5.9 mm	3 ct	9.3 mm
1 ct	6.5 mm	5 ct	11.0 mm

More: the diamond size chart for every shape. Shop: engagement rings · marquise engagement rings.

What size diamond studs should I get?

Studs are sold by the pair. "1 ctw" means one carat total weight: two half-carat stones, about 5.1 mm each. "2 ctw" is two 1 carat stones, about 6.5 mm each. See the pair at true size, then hold your phone beside your ear in a mirror.

What buyers pick: one carat each is the stud size bought most here, about a third of the stud pairs we sell.

Shown on our 1 ctw round diamond studs. Slide to compare any size.

More: what carat to buy and how big it looks. Shop: diamond stud earrings.

How many diamonds are in a tennis chain?

It depends on the stone: the bigger each diamond, the fewer fit in an inch. Pick a stone size and see one inch of the chain at true size, the stones per inch and the stones around the whole chain.

Shown on our 3.5 mm tennis chain with 10 pointers.

Every cut and size up to 100 carats: the diamond chain calculator. Shop: tennis chains.

Is it really life size on my phone?

On most phones, yes. Phones don't tell a web page how big their screens are, so the page works it out from your phone model and draws in real millimeters. The quarter is there so you can see it for yourself: lay one on the drawn coin, and if it is off by a hair, tap minus or plus once. A computer screen can't be worked out that way, so on a computer the drawings are to scale until you match a quarter once.

Questions people ask

What chain width should I get?

For an everyday chain, most of our buyers go 4 mm or thinner. Five to 6 mm reads bolder, and past 8 mm the chain is the centerpiece. Tap a width to see it on the neck and at true size.

Which chain length should I get?

Measure a chain you already wear, laid straight, end to end. 22 inches is the length men buy most here; on an average build it lands at mid chest.

Do I need a quarter?

Only to check it, or on a computer. On most phones the page is already true size without one.

Does a wider chain weigh more?

Much more. Every chain listing shows its own grams; the Miami Cuban guide goes width by width.

Can I see a piece in person?

Yes. The store is on 47th Street in the Diamond District, New York. Or text the desk with any question about a size.

Before you buy

The chains in this story, and the guides from the store

Cuban link chains Rope chains Franco chains Curb chains Custom chains Gold chains for men Today's gold price per gram

How Much Does a Gold Chain Weigh? Real Grams by WidthGuide from the storeMen's Gold Chain Length Guide: 18, 20, 22 or 24 Inches?Guide from the store10K vs 14K vs 18K gold chains: purity, stamps, weight and which to buyGuide from the storeHow a gold chain is priced at TraxNYC, and why the price moved since last week or a videoGuide from the storeMiami Cuban chains: width and weightGuide from the storeHow to tell if gold is real: the stamp, the scale, the magnet, and is TraxNYC real gold?Guide from the storeChain width chart: millimeters to inchesEvery width, how it looks on a neck, what it weighs

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