Men's Gold Chains

Men's gold-tone chains: the warm look, on a steel base

Every chain on this page has a gold-tone finish over stainless steel or titanium steel. The chain itself is steel, not a gold alloy. What you get is the color and shine of a gold chain on a strong, everyday metal, at a price that lets you choose the width and length you actually want.

Before you buy, it helps to know how plating behaves, which widths read as "gold" from across a room, and what to wear it with.

What gold-tone plating means, in plain terms

The chain is made of steel. A thin gold-colored layer is bonded to the surface. That layer gives the warm tone; the steel underneath gives the strength. Plating is a surface, so it wears with friction over time, mostly where the chain rubs: the clasp, the back of the neck, the links that touch a collar. How fast depends on how you wear it. Three habits keep it looking right longer:

• Put on cologne and lotion first, let them dry, then the chain.
• Keep it on at the gym, at the sea or in the pool if you like, then rinse it in fresh water and dry it.
• Wipe it with a soft dry cloth. No polishing paste, no abrasive cloth, no jewelry dip.

If you want a chain with nothing to wear off, choose bare steel in our silver-tone chains.

Which gold-tone width to choose

Gold-tone reads stronger than bare steel at the same size, so you can go one step thinner than you would in steel.

• 1.5 to 3 mm: a thin gold line. The 1.5 mm box chain, the 2.3 mm gold-tone rope and the 3 mm figaro or wheat chains. Right under an open shirt or with a small pendant.
• 4 to 6 mm: the classic men's gold chain. The Cuban link chain in 4, 6 or 8 mm, the figaro link in 4 to 6 mm, the rope in 4 or 5 mm, the Franco in 6 mm.
• 8 mm and up: a statement. The 8 mm Byzantine, the 12 mm Cuban chain with cubic zirconia, the heavy curb chain up to 12 mm in gold-tone and the gold-tone Cuban link chain from 8 to 18 mm.

Which length for a gold chain

20 inches sits at the collarbone and is the safe first pick. 22 inches leaves room for a pendant. 24 inches lies on the chest, where a thick gold-tone chain shows over a T-shirt. A few details to check on the product page: the gold-tone box chain comes in 18" or 20" only, the 6 mm Figaro Chain Necklace in gold-tone stops at 20", and the O-link chain is a single 16" length that sits high, like a choker.

What to wear with a gold-tone chain

• White T-shirt or plain knit: a 4 to 6 mm Cuban or rope over the fabric. The simplest look there is.
• Linen or open-collar shirt: a 3 mm figaro or wheat chain, two buttons open.
• With a pendant: a gold-tone chain of 3 mm or more and 22" or longer. Our gold pendant chains are already paired.
• Matching your other pieces: keep the same tone at the wrist. Our gold-tone chain bracelets share the same links.