How to Tell If a Cuban Link Is Real

1. Stamp: karat mark on the clasp or the tag beside it.
2. Weight: grams that make sense for the width and length.
3. Construction: solid or hollow links, and whether they flex or dent.
4. Color: the same tone on the flat faces, the link edges and the clasp.
5. Clasp: a box clasp with a safety latch on heavy chains, lobster clasps on light ones, all moving cleanly.
6. Test: an XRF or acid test by a jeweler, the only step that proves it.

The first five you can do yourself in a few minutes. Below is what to look for in each, specific to Cuban links. For gold in general, see how to tell if gold is real.

On a Cuban link the karat stamp is almost always on the clasp: on the side of a box clasp, on the tongue that slides into it, or on a small tag or end link next to a lobster clasp. Look for 10K, 14K, 18K, or 417, 585, 750. Many makers add their own mark beside it.

Red flags: a stamp that is blurry or uneven, a karat stamp on a clasp that is a different color from the chain, or only a "925" mark on a gold-colored chain, which means silver, usually plated. A real stamp can sit on a fake chain, so treat the stamp as the start of the check. The karat numbers are explained in the gold karat guide.

A Cuban link is a curb chain: oval links twisted so they lie flat and interlock tightly. On a well-made one, the links are the same width from end to end, the faces are pressed flat and polished, and the chain lies flat on a table without kinking. When you hold one end and let it hang, it should drape smoothly with no stiff spots.

Cheap fakes tend to fail these simple checks. Links vary in width, gaps open between them, the edges are rough, and the chain kinks or twists when laid down. None of this proves the metal, but it tells you how much care went into making it, and fakes rarely get that care.

Gold is heavy, so weight is the best home check for a Cuban link. Weigh it on a kitchen scale that reads grams and compare with chains of the same width, length and karat. There is no official weight table; every maker builds links differently. Here is one maker's published figures for solid 14K Cuban links:

Width	Length	Published weight (solid 14K)
2.5 mm	18 in	About 10.6 g
6.5 mm	16 in to 32 in	About 57.6 g to 115.2 g
8 mm	18 in to 32 in	About 96.8 g to 172 g
14 mm	16 in to 32 in	About 219 g to 438 g

Other sellers publish very different numbers: one guide puts a solid 14K 8 mm, 22 inch chain at roughly 40 to 60 grams, far below the table above. That gap shows how much construction varies, from tight, heavy links to lighter open ones. Use weights to compare chains of the same style, and ask the seller for the weight of the exact chain you are buying. Our Cuban link weight chart covers more sizes.

Our own Cuban chains list their gold weight. The Miami Cuban Chain 5mm is 10K, 37.8 g, $4,260. The Flat Miami Cuban Chain 5mm is 10K, 14.83 g, $1,880. Same width, very different weight and price, because the first is a full, round link and the second a flat link. That is exactly why width alone tells you little.

A hollow Cuban link is made of gold tubes instead of solid wire. It can be real gold; it simply uses much less gold for the same look. Signs of hollow construction:

• Light for its size. A wide chain that weighs about what a thinner solid one does.
• Gentle squeeze. Pressing two fingers on a link may flex it slightly. Do not press hard; hollow links dent and are often hard to repair.
• Sound. Hollow chains sound tinny and light when dropped onto a soft surface; solid chains land with a dull, heavy sound.
• Link ends. On some hollow chains you can see a seam or small hole on the inside of a link.

We sell both and name them plainly. The Hollow Cuban Chain 8.5mm is 10K, 43.25 g, $4,870; the Hollow Cuban Chain 6mm is 10K, 16.55 g, $2,090. Hollow is a fair choice for a wide look at a lower price, as long as the seller says so. Both styles are in our Cuban link chains collection.

A Cuban link is pressed flat and polished, so the faces get the brightest finish. The edges between links and the inside curves are where plating wears first, because links rub against each other all day. Check:

Where to look	Real gold	Plated or fake
Link edges where they touch	Same color as the faces	Silver, gray or copper showing through
Inside the clasp	Same color, maybe slightly duller	Different color or flaking
Skin after a hot day	Usually nothing, sometimes a faint mark from 10K alloy	Green or black marks are common
Diamond-cut faces	Sharp, bright facets	Rounded or worn to base metal

Skin marks have several causes, explained in why jewelry turns skin green.

Some Cuban links have small flat facets cut into the faces of each link to add sparkle, called diamond-cut, even though no diamonds are involved. On real gold, those facets are crisp and bright and stay the same color as the rest of the chain. On plated fakes, facets cut through the thin plating expose base metal, or the facets are rounded and soft. That makes diamond-cut faces a useful place to look when checking color.

The clasp is the hardest part to fake well. On a quality Cuban link, the box clasp is the same width as the chain, closes with a firm click, and has a safety latch (a small lever or figure-eight catch) on heavier chains. The tongue fits snugly with no rattle. Light Cuban chains under about 3 mm usually use a lobster clasp, which should spring back cleanly.

Warning signs: a clasp much lighter than the chain, a loose tongue, a latch that does not lock, or glue at the joint. Cheap chains also tend to have links that are uneven in width when you lay the chain flat.

Scam	How it works	How to catch it
Tiny GF or GP mark	"14K" is stamped large, "GF" or "GP" small or on another part	Read every mark with a loupe
Real clasp, fake chain	A genuine stamped clasp is fitted to a plated chain	Have a link tested, not just the clasp
Silver core	Sterling silver chain with heavy gold plating	Look for 925, check wear points, XRF
Filled hollow links	Hollow links packed with a filler to add weight	Weight feels right but sound and XRF readings do not
Wrong karat	Stamped 14K, actually 10K or less	XRF reading in percentages

An iced Cuban link adds a second question: are the stones diamond? A thermal tester alone cannot tell diamond from moissanite, so the jeweler needs a multi-tester, and several stones should be checked, not just one. Ask for stone type and total carat weight on the receipt. See how to spot fake diamonds for the details.

A dark line on your neck does not always mean a fake. 10K Cuban links contain 58.3% other metals, mostly copper and silver, which can react with sweat, sunscreen and Miami humidity and leave a faint gray or green mark. Real gold chains do this less than plated ones, and the mark washes off. A plated chain is different: once the thin gold layer wears through, the base metal underneath touches skin directly and marks show up quickly and keep getting worse. If you see bare, different-colored metal at the link edges along with the marks, suspect plating.

A jeweler's XRF analyzer gives the gold percentage in about a minute without marking the chain. On a chain, test the clasp and at least one link, since a fake chain can wear a real clasp. An acid test also works but removes a small streak of metal.

When you buy, get the karat, the weight in grams, the width and the length on the receipt. Our Cuban links are all 10K and are listed with width and gold weight; browse gold Cuban link chains or see them in person at 7900 NW 27th Ave, Unit 506, Miami.

Before you pay for any Cuban link, get these in writing:

• Metal and karat: for example, 10K yellow gold.
• Construction: solid or hollow.
• Width in millimeters and length in inches.
• Weight in grams.
• Clasp type.
• For iced chains: stone type (natural diamond, lab-grown diamond, moissanite or CZ) and total carat weight.

If the chain is ever questioned, that receipt is your proof of what was sold. Buying a used chain from a private seller, insist on a test at a jeweler before money changes hands.