We were recently asked “how much should a gold chain cost”?
As with anything jewelry related, this is a very broad and general question that isn’t easy to answer without more specifics.
In this case, it was a pretty “meaty” chain—one that was 26in length and 4mm thick. To put this in perspective, a decent chain is around 18in length and 1mm thick.
The person was interested in having a 14K solid or hollow gold necklace.
Plated / Gold Filled Chains
To start with, many commercial chains are typically plated or gold filled. This means that only the outer covering of the chain is gold, and the inside part is typically a composition of different types of metal (sometimes brass, nickel, copper, etc).
Plated or gold filled chains are easily obtained for under $100 for cheaply made chains, or for better quality chains, in the hundreds of dollar range.
Hollow Chains
A hollow 14K gold necklace means that the center of each of the links in the chain is as it suggests- hollow. Depending on how hollow it is will determine the price of necklace. For the specifications provided, it can be in the $500 – $1000 range depending on the quality of the chain.
Solid Chains
Lastly, a 14k solid gold necklace is one that has all the links made out of solid gold. In this case, especially with the price of gold now-a-days, one can expect to find this chain in the multiple thousands of dollar range.
This is just one example of why even though with the same outer appearance, a single piece of jewelry can differ in price considerably. In this case, it came down to the composition of what it was made out of—whether it was using cheaper materials, it was hollow, or it was solid gold.
If you ever are wondering how much a gold chain should cost or pricing on anything else jewelry related, feel free to reach out to us! We would love to help!