Types of Gold Chains: Cuban, Rope, Franco, Figaro, Tennis

Names get recycled by every jeweler with a camera. This table is only what we list, in 10K gold, with the cheapest piece of that pattern.

Style	What the link does	Starts at	Heaviest we list
Singapore	A twisted, shimmering fine chain	$290 at 0.6 mm	$495 at 1.2 mm
Box	Square links that sit straight	$315 at 0.8 mm	$730 at 1.2 mm
Curb and flat curb	Oval links turned flat	$300 at 1.5 mm	$2,395 at 6.5 mm flat
Paperclip	Long, narrow links	$435 at 0.3 mm	$2,070 at 5 mm
Mariner	Oval links with a bar across the center	$650 at 2.5 mm	$2,360 at 5 mm
Herringbone	Flat links that lie like a ribbon	$560 at 3 mm	$1,405 at 5 mm
Franco	A tight, square-ish twist, very dense	$1,425 hollow at 2.8 mm	$3,425 at 3 mm
Rope	Strands twisted like rope	$2,175 at 3 mm	$4,960 at 5 mm
Miami Cuban	Tight curb, flat or round, solid or hollow	$495 at 1.5 mm	$4,870 hollow at 8.5 mm

That is the wall. Forty-six chains, all 10K, yellow gold on every one of them, white and sometimes rose where the listing says so. The full set is chains. The Cuban slice is Cuban link chains, and the plain-gold slice is gold chains.

A curb chain is oval links twisted so they lie flat. A Cuban is that idea pulled tight, with thicker links and a more uniform face. People use the words as synonyms. The prices say they should not.

Our Curb Chain 1.5mm is $300. Our Miami Cuban Link Chain 1.50mm is $495. Same neighborhood of width, different link, different money. Step up and the curb family includes a Flat Curb Chain 4mm at $1,410 and a Flat Curb Chain 6.5mm at $2,395. The Cuban family at those widths is the flat 3.7 mm at $1,355, the flat 5 mm at $1,880, and the solid round 5 mm at $4,260.

If you want the link people recognize from Miami photos, buy the Cuban and read Cuban vs curb so the nickname does not do the shopping. The flat curb is a good chain. It is not a discount Cuban.

Rope is strands of gold twisted around each other. Every tiny surface catches light, so a 3 mm rope looks busier than a 3 mm curb. It also kinks if you twist it the wrong way putting it on, and a pendant will spin on it.

We list two. The Rope Chain 3mm is $2,175, from 18 inches out to 28, in yellow, white, and rose. The Rope Chain 5mm is $4,960, from 16 to 26 inches, yellow or white. The 5 mm rope is the most expensive chain in the catalog. It costs more than the hollow 8.5 mm Cuban, which is $4,870, and more than the solid 5 mm Cuban, which is $4,260. You are paying for the density of that twist, not for width. A 5 mm rope and a 5 mm Cuban are not substitutes. One is a spiral. One is a flat band of links.

There is also a Rope Chain Bracelet at $400 if you want the pattern on the wrist without the neck price. Same word, much less gold.

Franco links interlock in a tight, almost square pattern. The chain feels solid in the hand even at 2 or 3 mm, and it does not drape the way a curb does. It holds a straight line. That is why people who want one chain, and want it to look like jewelry rather than a cord, end up here.

• Hollow Franco Chain 2.8mm: $1,425, 18 to 28 inches. The hollow title is doing you a favor. It is in the name.
• Franco Chain 2mm: $1,655, around 20 to 24 inches.
• Franco Chain 3mm: $3,425, 20 to 26 inches.

Notice the 2 mm Franco costs more than the flat 3.7 mm Cuban. Franco eats gold because the links are small and packed. Width is a bad comparison across patterns. The head-to-head is Cuban vs Franco.

These four are the rest of the daily wall, and each one has a job.

Box links are square and the chain resists twisting, which makes it a good pendant carrier. The 0.8 mm box is $315. The 1 mm box is $470. The 1.2 mm box is $730. None of these is a statement chain. All of them will thread a normal bail that a Cuban will not.

Mariner, sometimes called a mariner or anchor pattern, puts a bar across an oval link. The 2.5 mm is $650, the 3.7 mm is $1,470, and the 5 mm is $2,360. It is a nautical look. It is also a sturdy link. It does not read as a Cuban from across the street, which is either the point or a disappointment.

Herringbone lies flat like a ribbon and snags if you treat it roughly, because the links can fold over and stay folded. The 3 mm is $560. The 5 mm is $1,405. Pretty, less forgiving than a curb.

Paperclip is long links, a newer silhouette in this case. The thin 0.3 mm is $435. The 5 mm paperclip is $2,070. It is not a Cuban and it will not become one if you polish it. Wear it when you want the long link.

Figaro alternates a longer link with shorter ones, usually in a 3-and-1 or 2-and-1 rhythm. It is a real style with a long history. It is not one of the 46 chains. If you want that rhythm, say so as a custom order and get a price before anyone draws wire. Do not let a seller rename a curb "Figaro" because the photo is blurry.

A tennis chain is not a gold link pattern at all. It is a line of set diamonds, each stone in its own setting, flexible enough to circle the neck. We do not have a product with tennis in the title. Diamond necklaces we do have are a different design, with total carat weights printed, from 6.75 carats at $5,500 up to 30 carats at $8,950. Those are not tennis chains unless the listing says so, and these do not. The buying rules, for when you are shopping the style somewhere that actually sells it, are in the tennis chain buying guide. The comparison with a Cuban is Cuban vs tennis.

Use this when you are tired of pictures.

• The chain should disappear and the pendant should talk: box, Singapore, or a fine curb. Budget $290 to $730.
• The chain and a small pendant share the attention: 1.5 mm Cuban at $495, or mariner at 2.5 mm for $650.
• The chain is the outfit: flat Cuban from $1,355, Franco from $1,655, rope from $2,175, solid Cuban at $4,260, or the 5 mm rope at $4,960.
• You want width more than weight: hollow Cuban, 6 mm at $2,090 up to 8.5 mm at $4,870.

Strength claims need a limit. We have not pull-tested these against each other in a lab, and we will not crown a "strongest chain" from a blog post. In ordinary wear, the dense links (Franco, solid Cuban, rope) survive daily life better than herringbone, which kinks, or a hollow link, which dents. That is shop-floor experience, not a certificate.

Cable and snake belong in the fine-chain group even though they did not lead the table. The 2 mm cable is $955 and the 3 mm cable is $2,280. They are round links, good under a pendant, easy to twist if you knot them. The snake at 1.2 mm is $775. It looks like a smooth tube and it kinks hard if it folds. Wheat and rolo fill the same budget as box and Singapore: the 1 mm wheat is $350, the 0.5 mm rolo is $300. None of these is a Cuban. All of them are real 10K gold with a price on the page, which is more than a style quiz can say.

All 46 are 10K. A different karat is custom: design, exact price, nothing made until you agree. Insured shipping goes with the order. Manufacturing defects have a 7-day window. The sale is final. See them at 7900 NW 27th Ave, Unit 506, Miami FL 33147, or call 954-504-5640. Iced chains, when the stone is the pattern, are filed under iced-out chains and tennis chains, separate from this gold wall.