Two chains that look similar in photographs can have very different prices. The biggest reasons are usually gold purity, gram weight, solid or hollow construction, manufacturing complexity, brand and retailer margin.
1. Gold purity
A 9ct chain contains 37.5% gold by fineness, 14ct contains 58.5% and 18ct contains 75%. Higher fineness generally increases precious-metal content for a chain of the same weight, but purity is only one part of the final retail price.
2. Gram weight
Weight is one of the most useful comparison figures. A wider chain can be surprisingly light if its links are hollow, while a smaller solid chain can contain more metal. Compare weight together with length, width and purity.
3. Solid versus hollow construction
Hollow links use less metal and can create a larger visual presence for less money. The trade-off is generally greater vulnerability to dents or deformation. Read our solid vs hollow gold chains guide.
4. Link style and manufacturing
Rope, Cuban, Figaro and other patterns can involve different amounts of labour, finishing and assembly. Machine-made and hand-finished pieces may also be priced differently even when their gold content is similar.
5. Brand, seller and service
Retail price can include design, branding, warranty, presentation, resizing, returns and physical-store overheads. A higher markup is not automatically poor value if the service matters to you, but it should be separated from intrinsic gold content.
Do not compare price by width alone
Width is visual; weight is material. Compare chains on the same basis: purity, grams, length, width, solid or hollow construction, clasp and condition. For UK purchases, also understand the relevant hallmarking rules.
A useful comparison method
Create a short table for each candidate with fineness, weight, length, width, construction and total price. This will not tell you which chain you personally prefer, but it quickly exposes listings that are expensive mainly because they look large in photographs.
Price note: Gold and retail prices change. TouchOfMidas therefore avoids presenting a fixed “correct” price per gram as an evergreen buying rule.