Solid links are the rope you wear for years or hang a pendant on. Then pick the width by the job it does, thin for every day and wide when the rope is the whole piece. Take 20 inches on a thin rope. Take 14K for the richer yellow.
The rope link: what a rope chain is, and diamond cut against plain
A rope chain is small oval links, each hooked through several others and twisted into a spiral. Pulled, it spreads the strain over many links, so it is strong for its weight. Its small faces catch the light, and a scratch on one link hides in the twist.
Diamond cut means each link's outer face is machined flat, not set with stones. It flashes hard where a plain rope shines soft. Every diamond-cut rope here is solid gold, with solid links wherever the record names them, and those ropes brought in more than a quarter of the sales. A Figarope, the rope with a Figaro's beat, has its own page.
Width: how thick a men's rope chain should be, and what it weighs
Wear 2 to 3 mm every day, alone or under a light pendant. Go wider for a rope that shows on its own, and past 5 mm the rope is the piece. Hang a heavy pendant on a rope with solid links, 3 mm or more.
Grams rise with the square of the width, so doubling the width means about four times the gold. At 3 mm, a 14K rope with solid links lists about 16 grams at 22 inches. Most listings give one weight for several lengths, so ask the desk which one it means.
10K or 14K: 10K vs 14K gold rope chain, and the silver ropes
Take 14K for the richer yellow and 10K for a harder, paler rope. 14K brought in about two thirds of the sales. The 10K ropes start at the 2 mm rope.
The silver ropes here are .925 sterling, the same twist in silver. The men's silver chains guide covers sterling and tarnish.
Length: what length rope chain men wear, 20, 22 or 24 inches
Take 20 inches on a thin rope and 22 on a wider one. A jeweler quotes any change of length, and a rope altered to your length is final sale. The chain finder on the men's gold chains page shows a rope at your width and length.