Buy 18K for its deep yellow, and judge a chain by its grams before its width. Most chains here are solid Miami Cubans of 10 mm or more, built to be worn on their own. For a pendant, take a fine cable near 2 mm, the link bought most often in the year. 18K is softer than 14K, so treat a thin chain gently.
18K gold: what 18 karat means, and the 750 stamp
18K means three quarters of the chain is pure gold, 18 parts in 24. The other quarter, mostly silver and copper in yellow gold, hardens the gold and sets its shade. Some chains are stamped 18K or 750 near the clasp, so ask us whether yours is. Every chain here is listed as 18K, and no title says plated. All but a few titles say solid, so on those each link is metal through. Most of the case is yellow, about a dozen chains come in white, and a handful in rose.
Which link: 18K Miami Cuban, cable, Franco and anchor chains
Pick the link by the job it will do. A Miami Cuban is made to be seen on its own, and Cubans fill most of the page, from 7 mm up past 20. The fine cable is the pendant chain, plain oval links that let a bail slide, and in the year it sold more pieces than every other link together. A Franco keeps a heavier pendant from turning on its square links. Diamond cut anchors are faceted to throw light, not set with stones. A few chains do carry natural diamonds by their listings.
Weight: how many grams an 18K gold chain weighs
Check the grams first, because the grams are the gold you are buying. On a solid 18K Cuban the weight climbs far faster than the width. At 10 mm a Cuban runs close to 10 grams an inch. At 20 mm it carries nearly four times as much. The table below gives eight widths at three lengths, and its last column times your inches covers any other. Two slim anchors print no weight, so ask us before you order.
Length: what length 18K gold chain to buy
Choose your length first, since nearly every Cuban here is its own listing at one length. They step up by two inches from 16 to 36. Worn by most men, 18 inches meets the collarbone and 24 settles on the chest. The fine cables come at 18 or 20 inches, where a pendant usually hangs. A 30 inch Cuban weighs about a quarter more than the same width at 24. Ask us before a chain is shortened or lengthened, because one altered for you is final.
18K or 14K: which karat for an everyday chain
Take 18K for the color and the gold, and 14K for a thin chain worn hard. 18K is softer, so a fine link can kink or stretch sooner, while a heavy Cuban has the mass for daily wear. Gold is denser than the silver and copper mixed into it, so the same chain in 18K weighs roughly a sixth more than in 14K. Take a fine 18K cable off for sleep and the gym. For more widths in the harder karat, see 14K gold chains. Send any 18K question, from a stamp to a weight, to the live chat, or call or text 212-872-9692 from 10 AM ET.