You're after a gold chain and you land on ten "which link to choose" guides: cable, figaro, curb, rope… They all talk to you about style, trends, face shapes. Not one tells you the single thing that decides what you'll actually pay and get back one day: is the chain full or empty inside? Because the same link, in the same 18-carat gold, can weigh three to six times less depending on whether it's solid or hollow — for exactly the same look at the neck. Here's how to read a chain, link by link, and what it's worth per gram.
The link makes the style, the weight makes the value
Choosing a link is first a matter of taste and use: a fine, supple link for everyday wear, a wide curb for the look, a delicate rope for a light pendant. All of that is legitimate, and no link is "better" than another in itself.
But the link tells you nothing about the amount of gold. Two figaro chains identical to the eye, same length, same width, can hold completely different masses of gold — one full, the other tubular. And since a chain, by construction, is made of dozens of links, it's the ideal ground for hiding empty space: a little hollow in each link, and in total you lose half the metal without it showing. The "big volume, low price" trap works here just as well as on hoops or the bangle.
Solid, hollow, electroformed: the only thing that counts
Three words decide the value of your chain, far more than its link.
The solid chain is full gold in every link. It's the one that weighs, that lasts, and that sells back per gram. The hollow chain ("tubular") is links made of tube around empty space: same look, three to six times less metal, and it bends, dents or pierces far sooner — a broken hollow chain repairs badly, because there's almost nothing left to re-solder. The electroformed one is the extreme of hollow: a gold shell so thin it holds up only by its shape, for bulky, ultra-light, ultra-cheap necklaces with next to no gold in them.
None of the three is a scam in itself. A light hollow chain is even a smart choice if you want volume without the weight or the price, provided you own it and pay for it for what it is. What is a scam is paying for a hollow chain at the price of solid while thinking you're setting gold aside — and finding out, on resale day, that it weighs nothing.
The link line-up, from a strength angle
The link doesn't make the value, but it changes the strength and the risk of hollow. Quickly, the four classics:
| Link | Character | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cable | Even oval links, the everyday timeless one | Solid when solid; often offered hollow in the big widths |
| Figaro | Alternating long and short links, Mediterranean look | The long links are the first to open if the chain is fine |
| Curb | Flattened, twisted links, plenty of presence | The "cheap wide" version is very often hollow |
| Rope | Very fine, dense link, ideal for a pendant | Fragile by nature: snaps if you pull on it, keep it for light pieces |
Bottom line: the more a link "makes volume" for a soft price, the more you have to be wary of hollow. A big curb or a big mariner link "light as nothing" is almost always tubular.
The per-gram maths, before you fall for it
The only thing to understand is the price per gram. You already do this at the supermarket for ham; do it for gold, it's exactly the same.
A piece in 18-carat gold is 75% gold throughout its mass. Its metal value is: weight × fineness × today's rate. Late June 2026, that puts 18k metal around €90/g, and the real buyback of a solid 18k chain around €74 to €77/g (re-check the day you read this — gold moves every day, and every buyer applies its own discount).
Concretely: a solid 50 cm chain weighing 12 g of 18k gold is about €1,080 of metal, and it sells back around €900 at the counter. The same chain in hollow, same length and same width, might weigh 3 or 4 g — so three to four times less resale value, for an identical silhouette at the neck. When a seller shows you two "same" chains at very different prices, it's almost never a good deal: it's just two different amounts of gold.
A hollow chain shines like a solid one. The difference doesn't show to the eye — it shows on the scale and on the buyback slip.
The weight benchmark, by length
No need to be an expert: just ask the weight and relate it to the length and the width. As a rough guide, in solid 18-carat gold: a fine chain (40-45 cm, discreet link) usually weighs 3 to 8 g; a mid everyday chain (45-50 cm) more like 8 to 20 g; a truly wide, solid necklace (curb, mariner link, 55-60 cm) quickly climbs to 30 g and up — and costs a lot, logically.
That's where the trap snaps shut: the big "statement" necklaces at a low price often weigh 5 to 10 g for a volume that ought to be 30 or 40. It's not magic, it's hollow. The weight doesn't lie. Before any purchase, the first question — before even the price — is: "how much does it weigh?" A serious seller tells you to the tenth of a gram, scale in hand. And look at the clasp: on some chains, it's the only truly solid part, the rest being tubular.
Check the hallmark before you buy
The second reflex is the hallmark. In France, 18-carat gold carries the eagle's head; abroad, it's the number 750 (for 750/1000, i.e. 75% gold). On a chain, the hallmark is tiny and placed on the clasp or on a small ring near the clasp — ask where it is, and look at it up close. No visible hallmark, or a vague "14k" or even "9k" engraving: that's not investment gold, it's cheap gold that crashes hard at resale.
Three questions to ask the seller, out loud, no embarrassment: what's the exact weight? what's the fineness (18 carat / 750)? is it solid or hollow? An official shop with a physical address answers all three without flinching. If they dance around it, you have your answer. For a few euros, a serious counter will verify the fineness — do it before, not after.
Second-hand or new: what actually changes
For a chain meant to be worn often, second-hand is often the best choice — provided you aim for solid. A certified second-hand solid chain, simply cleaned and polished by an official shop, is real gold per gram without the big new-retail markup — that markup was already paid by the first buyer. And gold doesn't age: it polishes, melts down, looks brand new again. A chain that's ten years old is worth exactly its weight in gold, not a euro less.
What I do warn against, on this kind of jewellery, is uncertified private-to-private — Vinted, classifieds. Not out of snobbery: simply because on chains, well-faked hollow and false fineness are common, and the link makes the trick easy to hide. For a real gold chain, you go through an official shop that puts its responsibility on the line. That's exactly why I only list that kind of shop.
What I'd do myself
If I wanted a chain today, I'd first choose the link for the style and the use (fine and strong for everyday, wide if I own it), then I'd ask the three real questions: weight, fineness, solid or hollow — in that order. For gold that counts, I'd aim for a solid chain in 18-carat gold minimum, bought certified second-hand, with its hallmark checked at the clasp. Even if that means a more discreet link: a fine solid chain beats a big necklace that rings hollow.
If I just wanted volume for a look, I'd own a hollow or plated chain — but knowing it, and paying for it for what it is: an accessory, not savings. What you don't do is pay for empty space at the price of full.
Eleven second-hand 18-carat gold shops, normalised per gram.
To finish
The chain is the gold piece where people most often mix up style and value: you pick a link thinking you're picking a quality, when the real question is elsewhere, on the scale. A fine solid chain that weighs beats a big necklace that rings hollow. Choose your link for the pleasure, but ask for the scale, read the hallmark, reason per gram. I'm telling you what I'd do; it's up to you to make your own choices with your own situation and budget.
Sources for the figures cited:
- 18-carat gold price per gram (France, late June 2026): leguidedubijou.fr and lingor.fr, accessed 27/06/2026
- Buyback discount (20-30% off the world rate): leguidedubijou.fr — rachat d'or 2026, accessed 27/06/2026
- Solid / hollow / electroformed chains (weight difference at equal link): internal OrOGramme reference ("the gold bangle" and "18k gold hoops and earrings" articles)
- Eagle's-head hallmark (18-carat gold France) / 750 fineness: internal OrOGramme reference ("eagle's head hallmark" article)