Diamond Cuban Link Chains

The finished diamond Cuban piece in the catalog is Diamond Cuban Ring ($3,885), a men's ring in 10K gold carrying 3.12 carats total weight of diamonds, made to order in yellow, white or rose gold. The chains below it are the solid and hollow gold Cubans that a diamond build is based on. A diamond Cuban chain is a custom job: you bring the width and length, the shop designs it and gives you the exact price before anything is made.

A plain Cuban gets its shine from polished gold. A diamond Cuban adds a row or a field of small round diamonds across the top face of each link, held in a pavé or prong setting. The links still interlock like a normal Cuban, so the chain moves and lies flat. Almost all diamond Cubans close with a box clasp, which can be set with stones too, and that box should have a safety latch on the side. Sources disagree on how secure a box clasp is alone, so the latch is not optional. The full breakdown is in the diamond Cuban link guide.

Stones need surface. A narrow diamond Cuban has room for a single row of small stones across each link. A wider link can hold several rows and reads as fully iced from across the room. Length works the same as a gold chain: 20 inches at the collarbone, 22 on the upper chest, 24 at mid chest for most men. Use the width guide and the weight chart before you set a budget, because a wider diamond Cuban adds both gold weight and carats.

Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds, made of the same carbon crystal as mined ones. The FTC requires sellers to disclose when a diamond is lab-grown, and it does not allow words like "natural" or "genuine" on lab stones. On a chain with hundreds of small stones, lab-grown diamonds usually let you get a fuller, whiter chain for the same money. Natural diamonds cost more per carat and are the pick if rarity matters to you. Either way, the house standard on graded pieces is E color and VS1 clarity, which looks clean to the eye.

A diamond Cuban should be built on solid links. Stone settings need metal to grip, and a hollow link can flex or dent, which loosens stones. That is why the gold-only hollow Cubans above are great as plain chains but not the right base for stones. Compare the two builds in solid vs hollow Cuban link.

Five things move the number, roughly in this order:

1. Gold weight: width and length decide how many grams go into the chain, and wider links also hold more stones.
2. Total carat weight: the sum of every diamond. More rows per link means more carats.
3. Stone origin and grade: lab-grown costs less per carat than natural; higher color and clarity cost more.
4. Setting labor: every stone is set by hand, and a long, wide chain can carry hundreds of them.
5. Clasp: a stone-set box clasp with a safety latch adds both gold and diamonds.

For market ranges, see how much a Cuban link costs.

Clean a diamond Cuban with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush, working the brush under each link where lotion collects. Check the clasp latch and look for loose stones every few months. To price your own build, start at custom: idea, then design and exact price, then the piece is made and delivered, insured. See the plain gold versions at Cuban link chains, the buying guide and finished iced pieces at iced out jewelry.