Under 1.5 mm: the fine line
A chain this narrow reads as a line of light, not a chain. It disappears under a collar and you forget it is on. It is the right width for a small pendant, for layering under something wider, and for anyone who wants to wear gold every day without it being the first thing people see.
What it costs, solid 14K: a 1.2 mm rope at 18 in is $171, a 1.2 mm box at 18 in is $822, a 1.25 mm wheat at 18 in is $532. The box and wheat cost more at the same width because they are denser links with more gold in them.
1.5 to 2.5 mm: the everyday width
This is where most chains live. Visible on bare skin, sits under a shirt without a bump, carries a pendant of any normal weight. If you are buying one chain to wear all the time and do not have a strong opinion, buy in this band.
On a woman a 1.5 mm rope is a classic everyday chain. On a man a 2 mm rope or a 2.4 mm curb is the first width that reads as a chain from a normal distance without being a statement. Prices: 1.5 mm rope, 18 in $340; 2 mm rope, 20 in $883; 2.4 mm curb, 20 in $1,473; 2.5 mm paperclip, 20 in $1,055; 2.2 mm mariner, 20 in $992.
3 to 4 mm: clearly a chain
Reads as gold from a distance. Worn over a tee, in an open collar, on its own. This is the classic men's width and it is where a chain starts to have real weight on the neck: a 3.4 mm curb at 20 inches is about 18.0 grams. You feel it for the first day and then you don't.
Prices climb here because the gold does. 3 mm Figaro, 20 in $1,375; 3 mm mariner, 20 in $1,622; 3.4 mm curb, 20 in $2,911; 3.8 mm Figaro, 22 in $2,341; 4.2 mm curb, 22 in $4,160.
5 mm and up: the statement
Worn alone, seen first. A 5.2 mm curb at 22 inches is around 39.4 grams of gold, and at today's market that puts it at $5,734. Above this the numbers go past five thousand dollars and we handle the sale by bank wire, with the exact weight confirmed for your size before you pay. If you are here, you already know what you want; the question is only which link. Curb is the sturdiest, Figaro the dressiest, rope the brightest.
Two rules that settle most decisions
First: if the chain is for a pendant, the chain should be narrower than the pendant's bail is tall, and it should be at least 1.5 mm if the pendant has any weight. Best gold chain for a pendant goes through this properly.
Second: if you are between two widths, buy the narrower one in solid gold instead of the wider one in hollow. A narrow solid chain is a chain for life. A wide hollow one is a chain until it dents.
Every width above is on the gold chains page with its live price. Pick the style, set the width and length, and the number is right there. Chain length has its own guide: gold chain length guide.
