Types of chains: Franco vs Cuban vs Figaro, the grams, the pendant and the kink

A Franco chain is two rows of curb links woven into a square, four-sided chain; a Cuban chain is one row of curb links, rounder and tighter, that lies flat. At the same width the Franco carries more gold, about 2.14 grams per inch at 4 mm in our 14K solid listings against 1.25 for a Miami Cuban, so pick the Franco for weight that sits square on the neck and the Cuban for the flat look people recognize.

Franco vs Cuban chain, side by side

Medians of our own 14K solid listings, counted September 25, 2026. See them: Franco chains and Miami Cuban chains.

Gold chain styles chart: Franco, Figaro, Cuban and more

Every grams-per-inch figure on this page is a median of our own listings, counted September 25, 2026, from the listing's weight and length lines: 14K, solid by its title. Solid and hollow are read from our titles only.

The Franco chain: the design, and why it weighs more

Say you wear a chain every day, under a shirt as often as over it, sometimes with a pendant on it. I put that man in a Franco at 3 to 4 mm; our Franco listings sit in the middle at 3.5 mm.

The link is two curb rows woven into a four-sided chain with a square section; the V on each face is the woven rows.

Inside a gold chain factory in Italy. We flew there for a full tour of a gold chain factory, four generations in the making. 656,000 views on YouTube, read September 26, 2026.

Why does it weigh more than a flat link? The width on a tag is the outside measure of the link, not how much of it is metal. A flat curb is an open oval; a good part of its width is the hole.

A Franco is woven as deep as it is wide: a 4 mm square of metal where a 4 mm curb is a 4 mm ribbon. Our weight lines say so.

Grams per inch at the same width, 14K solid, our makes. Under each width, about what a 22-inch Franco weighs.

Franco Miami Cuban

1.5 mm
about 6 g

0.28

2.5 mm
about 20 g

0.91

0.50

3 mm
about 30 g

1.35

0.83

4 mm
about 47 g

2.14

1.25

At each width the Franco carries well over half again the Miami Cuban's grams per inch, near double at 2.5 mm.

What we list at Franco chains: widths from 1 to 7 mm. Most of it 14K, about a fifth 10K. We stock both solid and hollow Franco, and the odd title says semi-solid.

The Figaro

Say you like the flat curb look but want a pattern in it. That is the Figaro: three short links, then one long, over and over. It is a curb by family, so it lies flat the way a curb does.

What we list at Figaro chains is a short row: widths from 2.5 to 8.5 mm, the middle at 4.8 mm, nearly all of it solid by its title and most of it 14K.

Grams per inch for the Figaro: no number yet. Too few of our solid Figaro listings share one width with a length line for a middle figure.

We also list a Figarope, the Figaro pattern with rope in it, at 3 to 5 mm, all of it 14K and solid by its title.

The Miami Cuban

Say you want the chain people recognize from across the room. That is the Miami Cuban. The link is a curb made rounder and tighter, and the trade usually closes it with a box lock; our records do not say which lock a listing carries.

What we list at Miami Cuban chains: widths from 1.9 to 37 mm, the middle at 12 mm. Just over half of it is 14K, about three in ten 10K, nearly one in five 18K.

The grams climb fast with the width: Miami Cuban grams per inch, 14K solid, our makes. Under each width, about what 22 inches weighs.

2.5 mm
about 11 g

0.50

4 mm
about 28 g

1.25

6 mm
about 61 g

2.76

8 mm
about 118 g

5.37

10 mm
about 184 g

8.36

The whole ladder is in how much a gold chain weighs. The lock, and solid against hollow for a Cuban, are in our Miami Cuban chain guide.

The curb

Say you want a chain that lies flat under a collar and does not announce itself. That is the curb. The link is a twisted, flattened oval; the twist is what makes it lie flat.

What we list at Cuban curb chains: widths from 1.7 to 15.3 mm, the middle at 4.7 mm. Mostly solid by title, about one in six hollow. Most of it 14K, about a third 10K.

The rope

Say you want a round strand that turns the light as you move. That is the rope: many small oval links twisted so the strand reads as a rope.

What we list at rope chains: widths from 2 to 11 mm, the middle at 4 mm. About two thirds solid by title, a third hollow. Most of it 14K, about a quarter 10K.

The hollow rope is the one I warn you about: it kinks. Under a pendant you wear daily, buy the rope solid.

Milano rope, a name you may have read, is a rope chain by another name. It is not in our case today; the rope collection is the door.

One of each link, from our case

One chain in each style on this page, each among the best sellers of its style in our own sales, read September 26, 2026.

A few of the five-star reviews buyers left on our listings, chosen by us, quoted as written and trimmed only for length.

Solid, hollow and semi-solid

Every gold chain we sell is solid gold, karat gold through the metal. Solid, hollow and semi-solid name the links: a solid link is gold through its whole thickness, a hollow link is gold around air, and semi-solid is a trade word for a link with a hollow core; where one of our titles says it, that is what it means. We do not sell gold-plated chains as gold.

In our experience a hollow link at the same look weighs a good deal less and dents where a solid one bends.

A solid link is karat gold through its whole thickness; bend it and the metal takes the curve. A hollow link is a skin of karat gold around air; bend it past its curve and the skin has nothing behind it, so it folds. That fold is the kink.

The title is a start; the weight line is the truth. The long version is in hollow vs solid gold chains.

From the store

“In solid gold, 10K links are the strongest, and 14K is nearly as strong. At 18K and higher you start to feel the softness of the metal: an 18K chain cannot take a lot of abuse.”

Three checks, one minute each

1. Solid or hollow on the listing. Our gold chains are solid gold, and their links are solid unless the listing says hollow or lightweight; a few say semi-solid.
2. The weight line, divided by the length. Grams divided by inches is grams per inch; put that number against the table. A 4 mm 14K solid Miami Cuban at 1.25 grams per inch is 27.5 grams at 22 inches; a 4 mm Franco at 2.14 is 47.1. Our makes.
3. The width in millimeters. The table sits at 3 and 4 mm, the curb at 3 and 4.5. A wider link of the same style weighs more per inch; each chain's section above gives the steps.

What is a flat gold chain called

You point at the flat one and ask its name. Curb, Cuban and Figaro lie flat. The flat links we make most are the curb and the Miami Cuban.

The Franco is not on that list: it has a square section and four faces and sits on the neck rather than lying on it. So does the box chain, a square link, at box chains.

Why is it called a Cuban chain

A Cuban chain is a curb link tightened and flattened until the links lock close together. The name is a Miami name for that tightened curb, and the trade adopted it. Nobody has a document, and the same goes for the stories told about the Franco and Figaro names.

What the karat stamp tells you

The karat's share of gold is fixed, each within the legal tolerance, and the stamp says which:

Worked with the numbers above: a 4 mm solid 14K Franco at 22 inches is about 47 grams, our makes; 58.3 percent of that, about 27 grams, is pure gold.

Which one for a pendant, and which one kinks

The rule: a solid link carries a pendant, by width; a thin hollow link does not. A bail is a steady bend at one point of the chain, and a hollow link folds there. The two I name for kinking are the hollow rope and the thin hollow Cuban.

There is no grams-per-width rule on this page because we have no record for one. What I can show: in our 14K listings a heart sits in the middle at about 5 grams and a cross at about 6. The store's rule of thumb, width by the pendant's grams, is in which chain for a pendant.

Send the pendant's grams and the chain's width in the live chat, or call or text 212-872-9692 from 10 AM ET, and the desk matches them.

Before you buy, check the bail: drop the chain through it, and if it binds at the link's thickest point the chain is too wide for that bail. Our listings carry no bail width, so there is no table for it.

If a chain kinks after you buy it, write to service@traxnyc.com with your order number and clear photos, or start in the live chat.

What the desk can do is in the shipping policy's own words, read September 25, 2026. The warranty at checkout is for "manufacturing defects only", and "Warranty coverage applies strictly to manufacturing defects and does not cover normal wear and tear, accidental damage, misuse, modifications, lost items, or third-party repairs."

After that, "Lifetime Support: Even after your warranty expires, TraxNYC will perform repairs at the minimum cost possible." Which applies to your kink is the desk's call.

From the store

“The toughest links are a solid Franco, a Miami Cuban or an anchor link, and any of them will last you forever. The anchor link is, in most cases, the same link used to anchor ships to begin with, so it is designed to be very tough.”

The questions buyers ask

Franco vs Figaro chain: what is the difference?

The build. The Franco is woven: two curb rows made into a square, four-sided chain that sits on the neck. The Figaro is flat: a curb pattern of three short links, then one long, and a good part of its width is the hole in each link.

So at the same width the Franco carries more metal. I have no per-inch Figaro figure yet; read the listing's weight line. Solid, either carries a small pendant, by width, so choose by the look. See both: Franco chains, Figaro chains.

Franco vs Cuban chain: what is the difference?

They are two different chains built from one parent, the curb. The Cuban is one row of curb links, rounder and tighter, lying flat; the Franco weaves two curb rows into a square chain that sits on the neck.

At the same width the Franco carries more metal: at 4 mm and 22 inches, our 14K solid makes come to about 47 grams in a Franco and about 28 in a Miami Cuban. Solid, either carries a small pendant, by width; a thin hollow Cuban kinks. See both: Franco chains, Miami Cuban chains.

Why are Franco chains so expensive?

Metal per inch. A Franco is two curb rows woven into a four-sided chain, so at the same width it carries more metal than a flat link.

Our 14K solid makes: Franco 2.14 grams per inch at 4 mm against 1.25 for a Miami Cuban and 0.58 for a curb at 4.5 mm.

Which is better, Figaro or curb chain?

They are one family. A curb is a twisted, flattened oval link that lies flat. A Figaro is a curb pattern with three short links to one long.

Our 14K solid curb runs 0.23 grams per inch at 2 mm to 1.17 at 7 mm, our makes; for the Figaro I have no per-inch number yet. Solid, either carries a small pendant. Pick by the look and the width.

Is Figaro's chain outdated?

No. A Figaro is a curb with a pattern; I sell it to the man who wants the flat look with something to catch the eye.

We carry fewer of them than Miami Cubans or plain curbs: our Figaro row is short, nearly all of it solid by its title, most of it 14K. Pick it for the pattern, the width for the weight, and read the weight line.

Who wears Franco chains?

The man who wears a chain every day, with or without a pendant; the Franco section above has my width for him, 3 to 4 mm.

What we list: Franco widths from 1 to 7 mm, the middle at 3.5 mm, most of it 14K, in both solid and hollow. A solid Franco by width carries a pendant; a thin hollow one does not.

What is a Franco chain?

Two rows of curb links woven into a square, four-sided chain, with a V on each face. It sits on the neck rather than lying flat, and at the same width it carries more metal than a flat link: about 2.14 grams per inch at 4 mm in our 14K solid listings.

Franco vs rope chain: which should I buy?

The Franco for a chain that sits square and carries a pendant every day; the rope for a round strand that turns the light. Buy either one solid under a pendant: the hollow rope is the one that kinks.

Keep reading

More answers from the store: all TraxNYC buyer's guides.

Whichever one you pick, the grams go on paper: every purchase from us comes with a written appraisal that states the carat and gram weights. Silver jewelry is the exception.

If you are still between two names, bring both to 64 W 47th St, Booth F-1, ask in the live chat, or text 212-872-9692 from 10 AM ET.