Published 12 August 2026 by Rajesh Londe, Managing Partner, Londe Jewellers Gold & Diamonds | About the author
This is the question almost every man arrives with, and the honest answer is a weight range rather than a single number. The table below works anywhere in India, because it is built on how gold behaves rather than on any one shop's stock. Read down for the weight band and across for what it actually does on the body. Every band assumes a solid link, not a hollow one.
| Weight band | Usual length | How it reads on the neck | Best suited to | Purity that fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 grams | 18 to 20 inches | Fine, sits below the collar, barely visible over a shirt | A first gold chain, daily wear worn under clothing | 22K |
| 12 to 20 grams | 20 to 22 inches | Clearly visible, still restrained | The everyday visible chain most Indian men settle on | 22K |
| 20 to 35 grams | 22 to 24 inches | Substantial, reads across a room | Wedding, festive and occasion wear | 22K |
| 35 to 60 grams | 22 to 26 inches | Heavy statement, unmistakable weight | Groom pieces and family heirloom chains | 22K |
| 10 to 25 grams in 18K | 20 to 22 inches | Harder surface, holds a crisp machined edge | Modern hard edged designs and diamond set chains | 18K |
Notice that length is the least important column. Two chains of the same 22 inch length can differ by 25 grams and by more than three lakh rupees, purely because one link is thicker than the other. So fix the weight band first, then choose the length that suits your height and collar, then choose the link style. Buying in that order is what stops a purchase from drifting.
Buy 22K when the piece is mostly gold. Buy 18K when the piece is mostly structure holding something else. That single sentence covers almost every men's purchase, and the reason is metallurgy rather than preference. 22K is softer and richer in colour, which suits plain forms where the metal is the whole point. 18K is a harder alloy, so it holds a sharp machined edge and grips a stone without the setting loosening over years of wear.
| Piece | Buy in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plain chain, plain kada, plain bracelet, plain ring | 22K | Mostly gold, so the higher gold content is the value. This is also what the Indian exchange market is built around. |
| Diamond set ring, diamond bracelet, stone set pieces | 18K | The metal has to grip a stone for decades. 22K is too soft to hold a prong securely. |
| Hard edged modern designs with machined faces | 18K | A crisp edge stays crisp. In 22K the same edge rounds off with wear. |
| Signet and engraved rings | 18K | Engraving holds its depth far longer in the harder alloy. |
| Anything bought partly to hold value | 22K | More gold per gram, and it exchanges at the standard 22K rate everywhere. |
14K appears in imported and fashion led men's jewellery. It is harder still and cheaper per gram, but it sits outside the Indian exchange convention, so its resale is weaker than the price gap suggests. If value retention matters at all to the purchase, stay with 22K and 18K. Our gold purity guide sets out how each carat grade is alloyed and hallmarked.
Gold jewellery pricing is not a mystery and it is not negotiable at the metal line. Weight in grams, multiplied by the day's rate for that purity, plus the making charge percentage, plus a flat 3 percent GST on the whole invoice. That is the entire calculation. The table below runs it at a 22K rate near Rs 14,000 a gram so you can see the shape of it. The gold rate moves every day, so treat the rupee columns as structure rather than as a quote, and check the live gold rate for Nagpur today before you shop.
| Piece and typical weight | Gold value | At 8% making, with GST | At 12% making, with GST | At 18% making, with GST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily wear chain, 10 grams | Rs 1,40,000 | Rs 1,55,736 | Rs 1,61,504 | Rs 1,70,156 |
| Everyday visible chain, 20 grams | Rs 2,80,000 | Rs 3,11,472 | Rs 3,23,008 | Rs 3,40,312 |
| Occasion chain, 35 grams | Rs 4,90,000 | Rs 5,45,076 | Rs 5,65,264 | Rs 5,95,546 |
| Men's kada, 30 grams | Rs 4,20,000 | Rs 4,67,208 | Rs 4,84,512 | Rs 5,10,468 |
| Linked bracelet, 15 grams | Rs 2,10,000 | Rs 2,33,604 | Rs 2,42,256 | Rs 2,55,234 |
| Plain ring, 6 grams | Rs 84,000 | Rs 93,442 | Rs 96,902 | Rs 1,02,094 |
| Signet or broad ring, 12 grams | Rs 1,68,000 | Rs 1,86,883 | Rs 1,93,805 | Rs 2,04,187 |
Read across any single row and the making charge spread becomes visible. On the 20 gram chain, the gap between an 8 percent and an 18 percent making charge is Rs 28,840 on identical metal. That is the number worth asking about at the counter, and it is the number most buyers never ask for. Our making charges breakdown for Nagpur publishes the full band structure.
Men's gold sits in the lowest making charge band more often than any other category, because men's forms are overwhelmingly plain and machine finished. There is no filigree, no meenakari, no stone setting labour on a plain chain or a plain kada. The published slab at Londe Jewellers Gold & Diamonds has four bands and the percentage is printed as its own line item on every invoice at all four Nagpur showrooms.
| Band | Making charge | Men's pieces in this band |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | 8 to 12 percent | Plain chains, plain kada, plain linked bracelets, plain bands |
| Patterned | 12 to 18 percent | Textured and patterned chains, patterned kada, signet rings |
| Traditional | 15 to 25 percent | Handcrafted Nagpuri karigari men's pieces and antique finishes |
| Bridal | 20 to 28 percent | Heavy groom sets and handcrafted statement pieces |
This matters beyond the purchase price. The making charge and the GST are the two parts of your invoice that never come back, so a plain chain at 8 to 12 percent keeps far more of your money in recoverable metal than an equivalent value handcrafted piece at 20 to 28 percent. That is the practical reason a plain heavy men's chain has long been the way Indian families hold wearable gold. Our resale and break even guide runs the full arithmetic.
Ask one question about any men's chain before anything else. Is this link solid or hollow. A hollow chain is built to look heavy at low weight by wrapping thin sheet gold around air. It costs less because there is less gold in it, and that part is honest. The problem arrives on impact. A solid link bends and can be reopened, reshaped and rejoined by a karigar. A hollow link crushes, and a crushed hollow link cannot be restored invisibly because there is nothing inside to push back against.
For a chain a man intends to wear every day for ten or twenty years, choose solid. Solid curb, solid box and solid rope are the three link styles that take daily abuse best, in that order. Get the answer in writing on the invoice, not just verbally at the counter, because solid and hollow chains of the same visible size sit at completely different weights and therefore completely different prices. If a chain looks much heavier than its stated grams, that gap is the answer to the question.
A kada is rigid and holds its form permanently. A bracelet is linked and drapes. That structural difference decides the weight before any question of taste. A kada has to be stiff enough not to deform in ordinary use, so it rarely works below about 20 grams and commonly sits at 25 to 50 grams. A linked bracelet is supported along its whole length and works from about 10 grams upward.
On durability the kada wins. It has no clasp and no joints, which are the two places wrist jewellery fails. A linked bracelet takes its wear at the clasp and at the joining links, both of which are repairable but both of which will eventually need attention. On comfort the bracelet usually wins, because it moves with the wrist rather than sitting against it. In Vidarbha the kada carries the stronger traditional association, particularly as a gift marking a milestone, while the linked bracelet is the more common choice among younger buyers in Nagpur who want gold that works with office wear. Both are stocked at all four of our showrooms and can be seen side by side on the same wrist in one visit.
A men's ring is the one piece where sizing errors cost real money, because resizing a broad or stone set band is not always possible without visible work. Plain bands for men typically run 4 to 8 grams and broad or signet styles run 10 to 15 grams. Width drives comfort more than weight does. A band wider than about 8 millimetres sits differently across the knuckle and generally needs to be ordered half a size larger than a narrow band on the same finger.
Get sized at the counter rather than from a printed chart, and get sized in the evening. Fingers swell through the day and a ring fitted first thing in the morning will feel tight by night. If the ring carries a stone, buy it in 18K so the prongs hold, and expect the making charge to sit a band higher because setting is skilled labour. Every ring we sell is BIS hallmarked with its own HUID, and resizing on pieces bought from us is done in house.
The groom's gold in a Vidarbha wedding is usually a smaller list than the bride's and it is almost always bought later, which is where families get caught. Prices are set by the rate on the day you buy, so a purchase deferred to the last fortnight before the wedding is a purchase made at whatever the market happens to be doing. Families who plan the groom's pieces alongside the bride's, months ahead, consistently pay less for identical jewellery.
The typical Vidarbha groom list runs to a chain in the 20 to 35 gram band, a ring at 6 to 12 grams, and often a kada at 25 to 50 grams. At the rate used in the table above that is a meaningful sum, and it is exactly the kind of planned, dated purchase that a structured saving plan is built for, because it spreads the buying across months rather than landing the whole amount on one day's rate. Our gold savings schemes in Nagpur cover both the Golden Tree and Golden Locker routes. Families who already hold old gold should also read the gold exchange policy for Nagpur, because we deduct 0 percent on 22K and 24K old gold including gold bought from any other jeweller, which changes the arithmetic on a groom purchase considerably.
These five get you the truth in any shop in India, and all five should be asked before you commit rather than afterwards. What is the exact weight in grams, read off the scale in front of me. What is the making charge percentage, printed as its own line on the invoice. Is this link solid or hollow, stated on the bill. Is the piece BIS hallmarked with a HUID I can verify. And what percentage do you deduct if I bring this piece back to exchange it.
A shop that answers all five plainly is a shop where the tables on this page are the whole story. A shop that answers in generalities has a number it has not mentioned yet. The fifth question is the one that catches people out most, because a deduction of 10 to 20 percent on the tested weight is common and it costs more than any rate difference you will ever find by shopping around. Our gold bill verification checklist lists every line that should appear on a correct invoice.
Charts settle the arithmetic. They cannot tell you how 18 grams feels on your own neck. Come and try it. Londe Jewellers Gold & Diamonds, Sitabuldi, is at Modi Number 2, opposite Datta Mandir, Sitabuldi, Nagpur, Maharashtra 440012, phone +91 90755 12053, open 11 AM to 8:30 PM every day. Variety Square is the landmark on that stretch, with Sitabuldi Fort and the railway station both nearby, so it is easy to reach by auto, bus or private vehicle.
The same men's chains, kada, bracelets and rings are stocked at our Gokulpeth showroom at Plot No. 175, N Bazar Road, near Kumar Bakery, Gokulpeth, Nagpur 440010, and at our Manish Nagar and Nandanvan showrooms, all four keeping identical 11 AM to 8:30 PM hours at identical pricing and on identical terms. Weight is read off the counter scale while you watch, the making charge percentage is printed on the invoice, and every piece is BIS hallmarked with its own HUID. Londe Jewellers Gold & Diamonds has served Nagpur and Vidarbha families since 1989. Golden Bonds of Trust. Browse the full gold jewellery range in Nagpur before you visit.
For a first daily wear chain worn under a shirt, 8 to 12 grams at 18 to 20 inches is the practical floor, because anything lighter is too fragile at a man's chain width. For a chain meant to be seen every day, 12 to 20 grams at 20 to 22 inches is the most common choice in India. Wedding and festive chains sit at 20 to 35 grams, and heavy statement pieces run 35 to 60 grams. Weight matters more than length, because the same 22 inch chain can weigh 10 grams or 40 grams depending on link thickness.
Use 22K for plain chains, kada, plain bracelets and plain rings, because the higher gold content holds value and 22K is what the Indian resale and exchange market is built around. Use 18K where the piece has to hold a sharp edge or grip a stone, which means diamond set rings, diamond bracelets and modern hard edged designs, because 18K is a harder alloy. The rule is simple. If the piece is mostly gold, buy 22K. If the piece is mostly structure holding something else, buy 18K.
A kada is a rigid closed form that slips over the hand or opens on a hinge, and it holds its shape permanently. A bracelet is a linked chain that drapes and moves. That difference decides the weight. A men's gold kada has to be rigid enough not to deform, so it rarely works below about 20 grams and commonly sits at 25 to 50 grams. A linked bracelet is supported along its whole length, so it works from about 10 grams upward. A kada is also easier to repair because the form is solid, while a linked bracelet has clasps and joints that take the wear.
Multiply the weight in grams by the day's 22K rate per gram, add the making charge percentage, then add a flat 3 percent GST on the total. At a 22K rate near Rs 14,000 a gram, a 10 gram plain chain lands close to Rs 1,55,000 to Rs 1,62,000, a 20 gram chain close to Rs 3,10,000 to Rs 3,24,000, and a 35 gram chain close to Rs 5,45,000 to Rs 5,66,000, depending on the making charge band. The gold rate moves daily, so the gram weight and the making charge percentage are the two numbers to fix before you shop.
Solid link styles outlast hollow ones by a wide margin. A solid rope, box or curb link distributes stress across the whole link and can be repaired at any joint. Hollow links are made to look heavy at low weight and they crush rather than bend, which usually cannot be repaired invisibly. For a chain a man will wear every day for years, choose a solid curb, box or rope link and accept the honest weight. Ask the counter directly whether the chain is solid or hollow, and ask for it in writing on the invoice.
Usually yes, because men's gold is dominated by plain machine finished forms. Plain chains, plain kada, plain bracelets and plain rings sit in the lowest making charge band, 8 to 12 percent at Londe Jewellers Gold & Diamonds. Patterned and textured men's pieces sit at 12 to 18 percent, and handcrafted or stone set men's pieces run higher. This is the main reason a men's gold purchase usually holds a shorter break even than an equivalent value bridal purchase.
It is better than most jewellery and worse than a coin. A plain men's chain at an 8 to 12 percent making charge carries less non gold cost than heavy bridal work at 20 to 28 percent, so more of the invoice is metal you can recover. A BIS hallmarked gold coin carries less making content still. If the purpose is to wear the gold, a plain heavy chain is the efficient answer. If the purpose is only to hold gold, buy the coin and keep the two decisions separate.
Visit Londe Jewellers Gold & Diamonds at Modi Number 2, opposite Datta Mandir, Sitabuldi, Nagpur, Maharashtra 440012, open 11 AM to 8:30 PM every day, phone +91 90755 12053. Variety Square is the landmark on that stretch. Ask to try the same design at two or three different gram weights on your own neck or wrist before deciding, because weight reads differently on different frames. The same men's range is stocked at our Gokulpeth, Manish Nagar and Nandanvan showrooms on identical hours. Every piece is BIS hallmarked with its own HUID.
Chains, kada, bracelets and rings for men, weighed on the counter scale in front of you, making charge printed on the invoice, every piece BIS hallmarked with a HUID. Four Nagpur showrooms at Sitabuldi, Gokulpeth, Manish Nagar and Nandanvan, all open 11 AM to 8:30 PM. Serving Nagpur families since 1989.
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