The Cuban link is the most counterfeited chain style there is. It's the most recognizable, the most expensive by weight, and the easiest to fake convincingly in a photo. If you're buying one — especially secondhand, especially online, especially at a price that made you raise an eyebrow — here's how to check.
None of these require a lab. The last one does, and it's the one that settles any argument.
1. Find the stamp
Real solid gold is stamped with its purity, almost always on the clasp or on a small tag at the clasp end. You're looking for 417 (10K), 585 (14K) or 750 (18K), or the karat written directly as 10K, 14K or 18K.
What should worry you:
- No stamp at all. Possible on genuinely old or heavily worn pieces, but on anything sold as new it's a red flag.
- GP, GF, GE, HGE, or RGP. These mean gold plated, gold filled, gold electroplate, heavy gold electroplate and rolled gold plate. All of them mean base metal underneath.
- A stamp that looks printed rather than struck. Real hallmarks are stamped into the metal with depth.
Be aware that a stamp on its own proves nothing — counterfeiters stamp their fakes too. It's the first check, not the last.
2. The magnet test
Gold is not magnetic. Neither are silver, copper or the common alloy metals used in real gold jewelry.
Hold a strong magnet — a rare-earth magnet from the hardware store, not a fridge magnet — near the chain. If it pulls, it isn't solid gold. Many fakes are built on a steel or iron core.
The catch: a fake built on brass or lead won't react either. Passing this test doesn't confirm a chain is real. Failing it absolutely confirms it isn't.
3. Weigh it
This is the single most useful check, and it's the one most people skip.
Gold is extraordinarily dense — roughly 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter for pure gold, well above brass, steel or silver. A solid gold Cuban link of a given width and length has a weight range it simply has to fall within. If a chain looks like a heavy Cuban but weighs a fraction of what it should, it's either hollow or it isn't gold.
Get a digital gram scale — they're cheap — and know the weight before you buy. Every chain we list has its actual measured gram weight published, because weight and karat determine price and any seller unwilling to tell you a chain's weight is telling you something.
4. Check the clasp construction
Counterfeiters cut corners where buyers don't look, and the clasp is where they cut first.
On a quality solid Cuban you should see a substantial box clasp, machined cleanly, with a working safety latch that clicks firmly. On fakes you'll typically find a lobster clasp that's undersized for the chain's apparent weight, thin stamped metal, visible casting seams or a latch with play in it.
Also look at where the clasp meets the chain. That joint carries the entire load. It should be solidly built, not a thin jump ring.
5. Look at the links themselves
Real solid Cuban links are individually formed and joined. Under close inspection you should see:
- Consistent link geometry down the entire length
- Clean, even solder joints at each link
- Uniform color everywhere, including inside the links and in the recesses
The recesses matter. Plated chains wear through first at the high points and edges, and you'll often see a different colored metal peeking through on a used piece. Genuine solid gold is the same color all the way through, forever.
6. The wear test
If the chain has been worn, look at the areas of highest contact — the back of the neck, the clasp, the underside of the links. Plating wears off. Solid gold doesn't. Any discoloration, greening, or a silvery or coppery tone showing through means base metal underneath.
Similarly: if a chain has ever left a green or black mark on someone's skin, it isn't solid gold.
7. Get it professionally tested
Everything above is a screen. This is proof.
Any reputable jeweler can test a chain, usually while you wait, and usually free or for a nominal fee. The two methods that matter:
- Acid testing — a small scratch on a testing stone treated with graded acid solutions. Reliable, mildly destructive, decades-proven.
- XRF analysis — an X-ray fluorescence gun that reads the metal's exact elemental composition without damaging the piece. This is the gold standard and it cannot be fooled by a plated surface over base metal.
If you're buying an expensive chain from a private seller or a marketplace, spending twenty minutes at a jeweler before the money moves is the cheapest insurance available.
The simplest protection of all
Buy from someone who publishes the weight, publishes the karat, shows you the actual piece you're receiving, and has a real reviewable history behind them.
Every gold chain in our shop is real gold in its stated karat, karat stamped, individually weighed and photographed as the specific piece you'll receive — with the actual measured gram weight published, so you always know exactly what you're getting. We also buy gold back — which means we test metal every single week and have no interest whatsoever in selling anything we couldn't buy back.
Browse solid gold Cuban links.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a magnet stick to real gold?
No. Gold is not magnetic. If a magnet pulls on a chain, it contains ferrous metal and is not solid gold. However, some fakes use non-magnetic base metals like brass, so passing the magnet test alone does not prove a chain is real.
What does GP or GF stamped on a chain mean?
GP means gold plated and GF means gold filled. Both indicate a base metal core with a gold layer on the outside, not solid gold.
How can I check a gold chain at home?
Check for a purity stamp (417, 585 or 750), test with a strong magnet, weigh it on a gram scale against expected weight for its size, and inspect the clasp and link recesses for color inconsistency or wear-through.
What is the most accurate way to test gold?
XRF analysis, which reads the metal's exact elemental composition without damaging the piece. Most jewelers offer testing on request.