Short answer: a solid gold chain has metal all the way through each link. A hollow chain is made from thin gold tube or sheet with an empty centre, so it looks wide for its weight. “Semi-solid” sits in between: a seller’s term, not defined in the FTC Guides, generally used for partly hollow links.

Hollow and semi-solid chains give a bigger look for less gold, but their thinner walls generally dent more easily and are harder to repair. Where a listing states construction, the title tells you; the listed weight, read against the width, shows how much gold you are getting.

The labelling guidance quoted here is from the FTC’s Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries (16 CFR 23.3). IMPERVORA products named below were available to order at the time of writing, described only from their own listings. For karat basics, see our guide to solid gold vs gold-plated vs gold-filled vs vermeil.

How each construction is made

Construction	Inside each link	What it means for you
Solid	Gold alloy all the way through	Generally heavier than a semi-solid or hollow chain of the same style and width; most metal to resist dents and to work on in a repair
Semi-solid	Partly hollow links, as sellers generally use the term; not an FTC term	Generally lighter than solid of the same style and width; ask how the links are made
Hollow	A thin gold wall around an empty centre	Large look for little gold; thin walls dent more easily and are harder to repair

Bench jeweler Tom Weishaar, writing in Jewellery Business in 2012, describes hollow-link rope chains as “typically stamped out of metal less than 0.10-mm thick.” From the outside it can look much like a solid rope; the gold is a thin skin.

All three can be genuine karat gold; what changes is how much metal there is.

What the FTC Guides say

The FTC’s note to 16 CFR 23.3(c)(1) says that calling a product “Gold” when it is “composed throughout of gold alloy, but contains a hollow center or interior, may mislead consumers, unless the fact that the product contains a hollow center is disclosed in immediate proximity to the term ‘Gold’ or its abbreviation”. It adds: “Such products should not be marked or described as ‘solid’ or as being solidly of gold or of a gold alloy.”

The Guides do not use or define “semi-solid”, so do not read it as “solid”.

We describe a chain as solid or semi-solid only where its listing title says so, and do not label the rest. Our guide to choosing a chain for a pendant covers link styles, bail fit and clasps.

How each one wears

A solid link has metal behind its surface to take a knock; a thin-walled link does not, so the same knock is more likely to dent it or press it flat.

The clasp end often takes the most wear. In a Ganoksin repair article first published in BENCH Magazine in 2009, Bradney W. Simon describes a hollow-link bracelet in which “the link near the clasp which receives most of the wear on the bracelet is broken and several of the other links are cracked or smashed”. When you check any chain, start at the clasp end and look for:

Dents: a flat spot or pit on a link that should be rounded.
Crushed links: a link pressed flat or out of line.
Splits: a hairline crack in a link; check near the clasp first.

What a repair can and cannot do

Weishaar says hollow-link rope chains “are nearly impossible to repair unless you simply flood them with solder to build up mass.”

Even on a successful repair, Simon solders in small steps “because the gold in the link is extremely thin,” and warns that with a coarser abrasive rubber wheel it would be easy to “grind away too much of the gold link and actually cut holes into the hollow link.” In a second Ganoksin article, bench jeweler Chuck Kohler describes a hollow rope bracelet with two earlier repairs and “huge globs of solder everywhere,” and writes: “I struggled with rope chains for over a decade before I finally figured out this method.”

A broken hollow chain can often be joined, but the repair may show, and how well it holds depends on the jeweler’s experience with this work.
A dent in a thin-walled link may not push back out; Simon’s method fills dents with solder instead, “much like an auto body repairman would use body putty to fill in dents on a car.”
Some bench jewelers decline hollow chain repairs.

These sources cover hollow rope and hollow-link pieces, and not every repair fails. If you will wear a chain hard every day, ask a local jeweler how they would repair that type first.

Weight vs width: how to tell how much gold you are buying

Width alone does not show how much gold is in the links; the listed weight does. Here are two 10K yellow gold Miami Cuban chains from our range, as their listings state them:

The 10k Yellow Gold Classic Solid Miami Cuban Chain (3.20 mm): 3.20 mm wide, box catch, offered in 20, 22 and 24 inch lengths; listed at 16.2 g in the 20 inch length.
The 10k Yellow Gold Miami Cuban Semi Solid Chain (4.50 mm): 4.50 mm wide, lobster clasp, offered in 20 and 22 inch lengths; listed at 10.6 g in the 20 inch length.

Same karat, same style, same 20 inch length. The semi-solid chain is wider; the solid chain is listed as heavier, and at 22 inches the listings give 17.8 g against 11.6 g. At the same karat and length, the lighter chain has less gold, whatever its width suggests.

One caution: weight varies with length, and listed weights are approximate. On these listings, the Weight line in the Additional information tab changes when you choose a length, while the Approximate Weight line further down shows the same figure for every length, so compare the Weight line. Treat this as a rough comparison, not a measurement. To compare fairly:

Compare chains of the same style and karat.
Choose the same length on each listing before you compare the weight shown in the product details.
Read the title for “Solid” or “Semi Solid”; if neither appears, ask.

Which construction suits how you wear it

Every day: solid gives you the most metal for knocks and later repairs, and a narrow solid chain can suit daily wear better than a wide semi-solid one.
With a pendant: a solid chain in a round or square-section style is the cautious choice; check the bail fit first.
Occasional statement piece: semi-solid or hollow gives you the width at a lower weight.
On a budget: decide whether width or metal matters more to you, and compare listed weights at the same length.

Returns, and checking your chain on arrival

Under our return and refund policy, a chain can be returned if it is postmarked within 30 days of carrier-recorded delivery and is “unworn, unaltered, and free of damage, scratches, or signs of wear,” in its original packaging with all original tags, certificates and documentation. Email Concierge@impervora.com for a return authorization (RMA) number first; for change of mind or fit, you pay return shipping. The policy also states: “Items showing wear, resizing, engraving, repair, or alteration by any third party cannot be accepted.” Custom, personalized or engraved pieces and final-sale items cannot be returned.

When it arrives: before you wear it, look over every link in good light, starting at the clasp end, for dents, flattened links or splits. If it arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, the policy says to “contact us within 30 days of delivery with photographs” and states: “We will arrange a replacement or full refund at no cost to you, including all shipping.”
After you wear it: the chain is no longer unworn, and a dent picked up in wear is a sign of wear, so the chain no longer meets the return conditions above.

IMPERVORA sells the chains linked above, chosen as examples of solid and semi-solid construction. If you are deciding on a specific chain, email Concierge@impervora.com before you order and we will share what its listing and supplier information state.

Next step

Browse our chains and read each listing’s title and weight together. If a listing does not say whether a chain is solid, ask us the same way before you order.