Men’s gold chain
sizes, to scale.

Gold chain styles, widths & lengths — a quick reference

Choosing between gold chain styles comes down to three decisions: the link style (Miami Cuban link, rope chain, Franco, Figaro, Figarope, box, cable, mariner, Byzantine, Greek key, moon cut, or a diamond tennis chain), the chain width in millimeters, and the chain length. For the background on three of the classics, see our guide to Franco, Figaro and Miami Cuban chain styles. Widths under 3mm wear light and layer well, 4–6mm is the sweet spot for carrying a pendant, and 7mm and up reads as a statement piece. The most popular men's gold chain lengths are 20 and 22 inches — an 18 inch chain sits at the collarbone, a 22 inch chain at mid-chest, and 24 inches and longer drape below the chest for layering.

Solid gold chains weigh and cost more than hollow chains, but they stand up to daily wear and repair cleanly — which is why most first chains and pendant bases are solid 10K or 14K gold. If you want to be sure what you are buying is the real thing, our guide to identifying authentic gold and avoiding fakes covers the marks and tests to look for. Every style in this guide links to its full collection, and most can be paired with a matching pendant as a ready-to-wear chain and pendant set. Every style also carries its approximate solid-gold weight — from featherweight builds under 20 grams to super-heavyweight pieces over 250 grams — so you can shop by weight class as well as by look.