A 14K gold chain's melt value is its weight in grams times {{k14_g}}, so a 10-gram chain is worth about 10 × {{k14_g}} in gold. Most buyers pay 60–95% of that, and only signed designer or antique chains reliably sell for more.
A 14K gold chain is worth whatever its gold is worth, plus a little extra if it carries a famous name. Price the gold first: weight in grams × $73.50. That number is the melt value. A buyer pays a percentage of it, usually 60% to 95% depending on who you sell to.
Length, link style and what you paid at the mall don't set the value. Weight does. Here's how to work out yours and avoid getting lowballed.
The quick math
14K gold is 58.5% pure gold. The live 14K price per gram comes from the spot price of gold ($3,907.93 per troy ounce):
- Spot price ÷ 31.1035 = price per gram of pure gold ($125.64)
- × 0.585 = 14K price per gram: $73.50
Some buyers quote by the pennyweight (dwt) instead of grams. One dwt is 1.555 grams, and 14K is currently $114.31 per dwt. Same gold, different unit, so make sure you know which one you're being quoted.
Worked example: a 12-gram chain is worth 12 × $73.50 in melt value. If a local buyer offers 80%, that's 12 × $73.50 × 0.80, or about 9.6 × $73.50.
The live per-gram rate updates through the day on our 14K gold price per gram page.
14K gold chain value by weight
The weights below are typical ranges for common chain styles. Real chains vary a lot by maker, so use this table as a sanity check and weigh your own.
| Weight | A chain this heavy is often... | Melt value | Typical local buyer offer (~80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 g | Thin 1mm cable or box chain, 18-inch | 2 × $73.50 | 1.6 × $73.50 |
| 4 g | 1.5mm box or wheat chain, 20-inch; hollow 3mm rope | 4 × $73.50 | 3.2 × $73.50 |
| 6 g | 2mm solid rope, 20-inch | 6 × $73.50 | 4.8 × $73.50 |
| 10 g | 2.5–3mm solid rope or Figaro, 20–22-inch; hollow 5mm Cuban | 10 × $73.50 | 8 × $73.50 |
| 15 g | 3mm solid Franco or rope, 22-inch | 15 × $73.50 | 12 × $73.50 |
| 20 g | 3.5–4mm solid rope, 22-inch | 20 × $73.50 | 16 × $73.50 |
| 30 g | 4–5mm solid Miami Cuban, 22-inch | 30 × $73.50 | 24 × $73.50 |
| 50 g | 5–6mm solid Cuban or rope, 24-inch | 50 × $73.50 | 40 × $73.50 |
| 75 g | 7mm solid Cuban, 24-inch | 75 × $73.50 | 60 × $73.50 |
| 100 g | 8mm+ solid Cuban, 24-inch | 100 × $73.50 | 80 × $73.50 |
If you'd rather skip the multiplication, plug your weight into the scrap gold calculator and it does the math at the live price.
Hollow vs. solid: same look, very different value
Two chains can look identical across a room while one carries three times as much gold. That's the hollow-chain trap.
Hollow chains are made from thin gold tubing. They look chunky but weigh little, which is why they're cheaper at retail. A hollow 4mm rope might weigh around 5 grams, while a solid 4mm rope of the same length can run 15–20 grams. The value follows the weight, not the width.
How to tell if yours is hollow:
- It feels light for its size. A thick chain that barely registers in your palm is usually hollow.
- It dents or kinks. Small flat spots or crimps are a classic sign, because solid links don't crush that easily.
- Look at the ends near the clasp. You can sometimes see a tube opening or a seam.
- Weigh it. If your 5mm Cuban weighs 10 grams instead of 40-plus, it's hollow or semi-solid.
Hollow chains are still real 14K, and a buyer pays you for every gram. Just don't expect a thick-looking hollow chain to fetch solid-chain money. Hollow chains are also hard to repair, so a damaged one is almost always sold as scrap. Some cheaper hollow or bonded chains have a non-gold core, which is one reason reputable buyers test before paying.
How to weigh your chain at home
Getting your own weight before you walk into a shop is the single best defense against a lowball offer.
- Use the right scale. A pocket jewelry scale that reads to 0.01 g costs about $15–25 online and is worth it. A kitchen scale that reads to 0.1 g works in a pinch for heavier chains. A bathroom scale won't work.
- Check it with a nickel. A US nickel weighs 5.000 grams. If your scale reads 4.9 or 5.1, you know your margin of error.
- Set the units to grams. If your scale shows ounces, those are regular kitchen ounces (28.35 g), not troy ounces (31.1035 g). Mixing them up throws your math off by about 10%.
- Remove anything that isn't the chain. Pendants, charms and anything with stones get weighed separately, or left out of the scrap math entirely.
- Weigh twice and use the average.
A note on clasps: most 14K chains have a 14K clasp, but lobster and spring-ring clasps contain a tiny steel spring. On a heavy chain it's a rounding error. On a 2-gram chain, a buyer may knock off a fraction of a gram, which is fair.
Make sure it's actually 14K
Look for a stamp on the clasp or on a small tag near it. A loupe or your phone camera zoomed in helps.
Solid 14K marks: 14K, 14KT, 585, 14KP (14K plumb, meaning it's at full karat). The mark 583 shows up on some older pieces.
Not solid gold: GF, 14K GF, 1/20 14K, GP, HGE, RGP, 14K bonded, or 14K over 925. These are gold-filled, plated or gold-over-silver, and worth only a small fraction of solid gold.
A chain stamped only "Italy" isn't telling you the karat; that's the country of origin. Stamps can also be faked, so a buyer will usually confirm with an acid or electronic test. Our guide on how to tell if gold is real walks through the at-home checks, including the magnet test (real gold isn't magnetic, though that alone doesn't prove much).
What buyers actually pay for a 14K chain
Nobody pays 100% of melt. Buyers need margin for refining, testing and the risk that gold drops before they sell. Here's what a 20-gram 14K chain (melt value 20 × $73.50) typically brings by buyer type:
| Where you sell | Typical payout (% of melt) | 20 g chain offer |
|---|---|---|
| Refiners and large mail-in refiners | 85–95% | 17–19 × $73.50 |
| Local gold buyers and coin/bullion shops | 75–90% | 15–18 × $73.50 |
| Jewelers | 70–85% | 14–17 × $73.50 |
| Pawn shops | 60–80% | 12–16 × $73.50 |
| Gold parties and mall kiosks | 30–60% | 6–12 × $73.50 |
The gap between the top and bottom rows on a single chain can be hundreds of dollars. A few street-smart habits:
- Ask three questions: What karat did you test it as? What does it weigh? What's your price per gram? A buyer who won't answer all three is hiding something.
- Watch it get weighed. The scale should face you, and the weight should match yours within a few hundredths of a gram.
- Get at least two or three quotes. Walking out is free.
- Don't let them lump karats together. If you're selling 14K and 10K at once, each should be weighed and priced separately.
If you're leaning toward a pawn shop, check what pawn shops pay for gold first. For comparing local options, see sell gold near me, and for mail-in refiners, our rundown of the best place to sell gold online.
Why it's worth less than you paid
This catches a lot of people off guard. Retail jewelry prices include design, labor, brand, store overhead and markup, so a new 14K chain often sells for well above its melt value. When you sell it back, a generic chain is just gold to the buyer. The receipt from the jewelry store doesn't factor in.
The gold price itself also moves, sometimes several percent in a day. If you bought when gold was higher, your melt value is lower too. Our why is gold moving page explains the daily swings.
When a chain is worth more than melt
Most chains are worth melt and nothing more. These are the exceptions:
- Signed designer pieces. Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Roberto Coin and similar houses have resale demand beyond the gold. Look for the brand name stamped near the clasp. Original boxes and papers help.
- Antique and handmade chains. Victorian and Art Deco chains, old watch chains and unusual handmade links can draw collector interest.
- Heavy, flawless popular styles. A solid Cuban or rope in perfect condition can sometimes sell privately for a bit above a scrap offer, though the extra money is often small compared to the hassle and risk.
How to check if the premium is real: look up sold listings (not asking prices) for the same brand and style on resale and auction sites. Subtract fees: consignment and resale platforms often take from about 15% to more than 40%. Compare that net number to your best melt offer. If the difference is small, take the melt offer and move on.
One warning: a gold buyer or pawn shop will almost never pay for the brand. Designer chains belong with a consignor, an auction house or a buyer that specializes in signed jewelry, not in the melt pot.
Taxes, briefly
Gains on gold jewelry are taxed as collectibles, at up to 28% federally. In practice, most people selling a chain they bought at retail sell it for less than they paid, and losses on personal-use items generally aren't deductible. Inherited chains are different: your cost basis is generally the value at the date of death. Keep any receipts or appraisals, and ask a tax pro if the sale is large.
Before you sell: a quick checklist
- Weigh the chain in grams, with pendants removed
- Confirm the stamp (14K, 585, 14KP) and rule out GF or plated marks
- Multiply by $73.50 to get melt value
- Decide whether it's a designer or antique piece worth shopping around
- Get two or three quotes and ask for the price per gram
- Pick the offer closest to the top of the payout ranges above
For the full playbook, see how to sell gold.
The bottom line
A 14K gold chain is worth its weight in grams times $73.50. That's the melt value, and it's the number every honest offer starts from. Expect 75–95% of it from a good local or mail-in buyer, less from pawn shops and much less from kiosks. Hollow chains are worth far less than they look, while signed designer and antique chains can be worth more. Weigh it yourself, know your number and shop it around.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How much is a 14K gold chain worth per gram?
The melt value of 14K gold is {{k14_g}} per gram right now. Buyers typically pay 60–95% of that depending on whether you sell to a pawn shop, jeweler, local gold buyer or refiner.
How much is a 20-inch 14K gold chain worth?
It depends on weight, not length. A thin 20-inch box chain might weigh 3–4 grams (about 3–4 × {{k14_g}}), while a solid 4mm rope of the same length can weigh 20 grams or more (20 × {{k14_g}}).
How much is a 10 gram 14K gold chain worth?
Its melt value is 10 × {{k14_g}}. A local gold buyer paying 75–90% would offer roughly 7.5–9 × {{k14_g}}.
Is a hollow 14K gold chain worth anything?
Yes. It's real 14K and buyers pay for every gram of gold in it, but it weighs much less than a solid chain of the same width, so it's worth proportionally less.
Will a pawn shop pay full value for my gold chain?
No. Pawn shops typically pay 60–80% of melt value, which is usually less than a local gold buyer, coin shop or mail-in refiner.
Does the clasp count toward the chain's value?
Usually yes, since most 14K chains have a 14K clasp. Some buyers deduct a tiny amount for the steel spring inside lobster and spring-ring clasps, which matters only on very light chains.
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AIJake · AI buying & selling guideJake is one of GoldTrack USA's AI writers. Figures are checked automatically against live market data, and sources are listed above. Not financial advice.
