Why is the subject of daily wear such a heated debate topic? Everyone has their own opinions on it, and I'm going to give you mine. Reminder: there is no right or wrong answer. 

What is a practical link size (mm) for a Cuban Link Chain?

Now, this video is not for you monsters who think you're The Rock and are going to wear 500g chains on a daily basis. That, that's just not practical for the majority of us who wear Cuban links. What are those sizes that we're talking about? These are going to be from 5mm all the way up to 10mm. Now I know that 2, 3 and 4mm exist out there, but those are typically machine made, so we're not going to talk about those. These are strictly handmade Cubans. What is the best size for you? We're going to break this thing down into three categories. Number one, the 5 to 6mm. Then the 7 to 8mm. And then the 9 to 10mm.

5-6 mm chains

So let's start off with the small ones first. These are going to be your 5 to 6mm chains. Now of course the length is going to all really depend on how you like to wear it - that's personal style. What we're talking about here is strictly the girth.

5 to 6mm chains are an absolute beauty of a millimeter to be wearing every day. These are going to be for those who like the more conservative look. You don't like to be flashy, you don't like to be all out there. A lot of people that wear 5mm chains, ironically enough, never even take them out of their shirts. They like to wear them on the inside. They don't really like to draw too much attention when walking in a room.

It's more of something that you have tucked in there or maybe just wearing them on the outside that you kind of want to hint that you have a chain but you don't really want people staring. Five is really, really small. Six mm has a little slightly bit more girth. Those are the ones that I would recommend if you're going to be wearing it with a pendant. Five mm you can too, just make sure that that pendant isn't too big because then it starts to tilt the chain over and then it looks like a razor blade sitting on your neck. It just looks kind of weird.

Small chains also have the illusion of having tighter links and the reason being is because of course the links themselves are smaller and so the gaps between them tend to be a little bit tighter, not really 'cuz the ratio is exactly the same even on the kilo chain. They just appear to be tighter so if you really like that sleek, tight, very little gap look, 5 to 6mm is probably what you want to go with.

Ladies - for the very few of you that watch my channel - 5 to 6mm is your look. Could wear that with a nice outfit maybe going out or you could even daily wear it. Who knew? Women wearing daily Cubans, what an insane concept!

The Downsides 

Now here's some downsides to rocking a five or six: They're not as versatile as the bigger sizes because they happen to be so thin. Unless you wear them plain Jane with plain Jane clothes. In other words you wear six mm 24 in. with a plain black shirt - it doesn't really stand out. A lot of people may really like that but say for instance you have a big night or you're going out to the club or you got a special date or you got some sort of special event on there and you do want to set some sort of presentence? A 5 or 6mm is very small and it's not quite going to do that for you. So just understand that as much as it is subtle, it's also never going to give you that big flash.

Another thing that kind of sucks - and I'm not saying that it happens often - but the smaller links can get flip links. When we make a chain, I put all the solder facing One Way. Once I file them, they all kind of fall into place because they're being shaped exactly the same way by the file. When your neck is swaying, moving back and forth, one of those links may actually flip the other way and then what you get is Three Links that are completely stiff or if you do the Hang straight test there's one that's kind of bent and it Twirls the whole chain around.

Those tend to happen more with the smaller links because there's so many of them to begin with. Doesn't happen all the time but you are more prone to flick blings on smaller ones. And then of course the price point: You pay more per gram because it genuinely is more labor intensive to make the small ones than it is to make the big ones. So the grand price may be a little bit high. If it's the look you're going for, I totally think it's dope. It's not for me but I'm all ears into hearing the argument that a five or six is the perfect size.

7 to 8 mm 

Now let's go into the seven to 8mm. This is the most popular one. This is where everyone's going to say, "No this is the right size. Discuss! This is what you should be saying since day one." And I'll tell you something: I disagree. However, let me give you the pros and the cons:

The Pros

It is a beautiful daily wear size. It's going to give you the versatility that maybe a five or six won't give you. So you can put it on every day, you can go to the club with it, you can go to work with it, you can do your oil change with it, you can go down to the law office. It's a perfect size to wear as far as weight goes on your neck because it doesn't weigh as much and it's still comfortable but you can still feel something there.

You could wear under your shirt of course. You can see that print between a 7 or 8mm. It's really nice. The versatility and the daily wear look which just a plain black shirt is dope as hell. I purposely didn't wear a chain in this particular video because I didn't want you guys to stare and look and have a bias towards any size that I was wearing on a daily. If you see my other videos you see that I do wear either a 7, 8, 9mm and you can kind of get an idea of how cool it looks when you wear one of these intermediate sizes on a daily basis.

The price per gram also changes - not by much but it does get a little bit better than say for instance a 5mm. Wearing it with a pendant is perfect. They probably is no size better for that. You don't have to factor in how big the pendant is going to be. It could be a really, really large one or a small little Cross or whatever it is - it's so versatile that you could do either or and it won't compromise if it's really, really large pulling down the chain because an 8mm has some nice girth to it.

For someone giving a gift, who doesn't necessarily know what size they should go with? Seven or eight is your best bet because it checks so many boxes. So if you have a husband or a brother or a father and want to give him that gift but say "Hey, I wonder what size he's going to like?" - go with either a 7 or 8 mm. More than likely they're going to love it. And if they do want to upgrade they could do it later, but it's a perfect size to start off with for my people who are just starting off with Cuban link chains.

You're not used to the weight, you're not used to having a chain on necessarily every day. You just happen to fall in love with the Cuban link chain and this is going to be your first one - seven or eight is your go-to. Versatility, price and look - all three of them are bangers.

9 and 10 mm, a.k.a. my personal favorite.

Now talk these big boys.  A lot of you guys don't agree about the 9 or 10 mm. You guys say that it's way too big, you shouldn't be having that much weight on your actual neck - all the excuses in the book. 

Now of course I am a jeweler, I sell Miami Cuban link chains. You're probably telling me, "Gus, but this is what you sell, of course you must have one of the bigger ones on." But I used to wear one even before I was a jeweler. It was actually the first chain I ever bought. I bought a 9mm, 14 karat, 24in chain. Having a chain on is a part of my brand so you'll never ever catch me without one on. It's my personal favorite. Let me explain to you why:

Number 1: affordability. 

You're going to get more bang for your buck. A 9mm weighs anywhere from 150 to 200g. A 10mm weighs anywhere from 170 to 220g. And you get more bang for your buck. A lot of people are going to give you a little bit of a discount because now the chain is easier to make and there's more weight on it.

9mm and 10mm get really, really easy to wear after about 2 days. A lot of people are scared of the fact that they were going to wear one of these chains - they're going to be like "Oh man, it's too big!" Once you become accustomed to it, once you get used to that look, it just becomes so natural to wear a 9mm or 10mm.

Number 2: the statement.

You can wear them just about anywhere. If ever I want to go out, I never have to worry about my jewelry being a thing - it's always going to have and demand its own presence. It's a beautiful size, especially a 10mm. 10mm 24 to me is the perfect daily wear. It's what I wear all the time. I have a 22 karat 25 inch chain - there's nothing that even compares to it.

I've worn 7mm and I've worn 6mm and micro Cubans, and a 10mm just grabs your attention. I'm the guy wants my chain to stand out and make a statement. And if ever I do want to tuck it away, I could do that as well. And nothing has the imprint better than a 9 or 10 mm on the neck - it's just very, very present, and that's what I love about it.

Number 3: versatility in style.

Bigger style chains also give you more versatility when it comes to stacking it with a smaller piece. It looks really cool when you layer them. I used to rock for a very long time a tennis chain with a 10 mm under it. If you grab a nice thick chain like a 10 or a 9, you could throw either a 2 mm rope or a diamond tennis chain on there. Plus the fact that if you do wear pendants, you could rock a really big pendant or a big chunky cross and it looks proportionate. You're not putting on these micro cuban with a huge Saint Lazarus piece that's weighing you down Slick Rick style.

Wear What You Like!

Ultimately, your perfect daily wear chain comes down to style preferences and budget. I'm a firm believer in wearing whatever the hell you want, popping bottles with whatever chain you like. So go do that, my friend. Nobody can tell you what to wear, or how to wear it.