Tennis Chains: Carat, Width and Price
Total carat weight is the number every listing leads with and the least useful one for deciding what a chain will look like. Width is what you see, and width comes from somewhere specific.
Prices read from the Draco Diamond catalogue on August 27, 2026, quoted at the 10K gold base in Canadian dollars. Metal percentages read from the Draco product configurator on the same date. Round brilliant diameter figures are the standard industry weight to diameter reference and are approximate, because diameter varies with cut proportions.
How much does a tennis chain cost?
A tennis chain is the same idea as a tennis bracelet run around the neck: a continuous line of stones, each held in its own setting, with no gaps and no centrepiece. The price follows the same logic too, which is to say it follows the carat weight far more than anything else.
The Draco catalogue gives three fixed points. A 15 carat round chain is CAD 4,646 at the 10K gold base. A 9 carat pear necklace is CAD 6,038. A 50 carat graduated necklace is CAD 25,222. Commissions start at CAD 15,000.
| Piece | Total carat | Standard length | Price CAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9ct pear tennis necklace | 9ct | 18 inches | 6,038 |
| 15ct round tennis chain | 15ct | 18 inches | 4,646 |
| 50ct graduated tennis necklace | 50ct | 18 inches | 25,222 |
| Custom tennis chain | Specified | Specified | From 15,000 |
What a tennis chain costs by carat weight
Draco catalogue, 10K gold base, Canadian dollars. Cost per carat falls sharply as total weight rises.
Source: Draco Diamond catalogue, read August 27, 2026.
The first thing to notice is that the 9 carat pear necklace costs more than the 15 carat round chain despite carrying 40 percent less weight. Fancy shapes cost more to cut and set than rounds, and pear settings in particular need individual orientation. Carat weight drives the price, but it does not drive it alone.
The second is how cost per carat collapses as the piece gets heavier. The 50 carat necklace carries 3.3 times the weight of the 15 carat chain for 5.4 times the price, which sounds like the wrong direction until you note that the 15 carat chain is already the efficient point in the range. Below it, the fixed costs of the mount and the labour are spread over fewer stones.
How does carat weight become width?
This is the part almost no listing explains, and it is the part that decides whether you are happy with the piece.
A tennis chain is one row of stones. Its width is therefore the width of one stone. There is no separate width specification to shop for, and a listing that quotes only total carat weight has told you nothing about how the chain will read on the neck.
| Weight per stone | Diameter | How it reads |
|---|---|---|
| 0.10ct | About 3.0mm | A fine chain that reads as a bright line |
| 0.25ct | About 4.0mm | The common tennis chain weight |
| 0.50ct | About 5.2mm | Substantial, reads clearly across a room |
| 1.00ct | About 6.5mm | Statement scale, rare in a full chain |
Round brilliant diameter follows weight along a well established relationship. The industry arithmetic is diameter multiplied by diameter multiplied by depth multiplied by 0.0061, which gives approximate carat weight. Run it backwards and a quarter carat round is about four millimetres across, a half carat is about 5.2 millimetres, and a full carat is about 6.5 millimetres.
So the useful question at the counter is not what the total carat weight is. It is what the per stone weight is. Two 15 carat chains can look nothing alike: one built from sixty quarter carat stones is a wide, heavy line, and one built from a hundred and fifty tenth carat stones is a fine bright thread. Same total, different piece.
Graduated designs complicate this deliberately. On the 50 carat necklace the stones change size along the length, largest at the front and tapering toward the clasp. That is a design choice about how the piece sits, not a way of saving weight.
"Total carat weight is the number every listing leads with and the least useful one for deciding what a chain will actually look like. Ask what one stone weighs."
Garrett McMartin, Founder, Draco Diamond
What does length do to the price?
Eighteen inches is the Draco standard and it is standard for a reason. It sits at the collarbone, clears most necklines, and reads as jewellery rather than as a collar. Both catalogue necklaces are 18 inches and customisable at checkout.
Length matters to price because a tennis chain is set continuously. Adding two inches to an 18 inch chain is adding 11 percent more length, and at constant stone size that is 11 percent more stones. There is no stretch of plain metal to absorb the difference the way there is on a pendant chain.
That is also why length is the decision worth getting right first. Stone size can be specified, metal can be chosen, but a chain that is the wrong length sits wrong and the fix is not simple. Shorter than 16 inches begins to read as a collar. Longer than 20 and it disappears under most shirts.
What does each metal add?
| Metal | Adjustment | Price CAD |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling silver | -30% | 3,252 |
| 10K gold | Base | 4,646 |
| 14K gold | +18% | 5,482 |
| 18K gold | +38% | 6,411 |
| Platinum | +45% | 6,737 |
Metal at Draco is a fixed percentage of the 10K gold base rather than a flat surcharge, and the percentages are the same on every piece in the catalogue. Sterling silver runs 30 percent below the base, 14K gold adds 18 percent, 18K gold adds 38 percent and platinum adds 45 percent.
On a small piece those percentages are small absolute numbers. On a chain they are not. The spread between sterling silver and platinum on the 15 carat chain is CAD 3,485, which is most of the price of the chain itself. This is the piece where the metal decision costs the most and therefore deserves the most thought.
White, yellow and rose cost the same as each other at any given karat, so colour is a free choice. The trade is hardness against colour: 10K is the hardest of the three gold alloys, 18K carries the richest tone and marks more easily. White gold is rhodium plated and the plating wears, so it needs redoing periodically. Platinum is naturally white and never needs replating, which is part of why it carries the largest premium.
Should you buy a chain or a bracelet?
A tennis bracelet at 5 carats is CAD 2,720 at the 10K base. A tennis chain at 15 carats is CAD 4,646. For roughly 1.7 times the money the chain carries three times the weight, which makes it the better value per carat by a wide margin.
Value per carat is not the only question though. A bracelet is worn against the wrist where it is seen at conversational distance and catches light with every hand movement. A chain sits still, reads from further away, and is far more conspicuous. They are different pieces doing different jobs, and the honest answer is that most people who want one do not want the other.
The practical consideration is the clasp. A bracelet that opens drops onto the floor. A chain that opens drops down the front of a shirt. Both are recoverable, but a chain carries several times the value on the same single closure, which is why the catch matters more here.
If the decision is genuinely open, buy the bracelet first. It is the lower commitment, it is worn more often by most people, and it does not depend on the neckline of what you are wearing. Browse the range at the bracelet collection.
How do you choose a tennis chain?
Eighteen inches is the standard and sits at the collarbone. Shorter reads as a collar and shows above most necklines. Longer disappears under a shirt. Length changes how much stone the piece needs, so it changes the price, and it is the one decision that is awkward to reverse.
Width is the diameter of a single stone, not a separate specification. A chain built from quarter carat stones reads about four millimetres wide. If you want a chain that reads across a room, ask for the per stone weight rather than only the total.
Length and per stone size together set the total. This is why two chains at the same total carat weight can look completely different, and why total carat weight on its own is a poor way to shop.
Silver runs 30 percent below the 10K base, 14K adds 18 percent, 18K adds 38 percent and platinum adds 45 percent. On a chain these are large absolute numbers, so the metal decision is worth more thought here than on a small piece.
A chain carries its full value around the neck on a single closure. Ask what the clasp is and whether there is a secondary catch before you compare prices between two pieces.
Draco prices directly against a real quote rather than asking you to take a general claim on trust. On a piece at this value the comparison is worth making.
Every Draco chain is IGI certified at E to F colour and VS2 or better, ships with its certificate, and the report can be provided on request before purchase and verified free at IGI.org. Every piece carries 30 day returns, the Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee, free resizing, and free insured worldwide shipping to 25 markets with signature on delivery.
Nothing is held in finished inventory. Every piece is produced after it is ordered, which means a chain outside the catalogue is a change of brief rather than a bespoke surcharge. Start one at create your piece, or send a competing quote and Draco will price directly against it.
Tennis chain FAQ
How much does a lab grown diamond tennis chain cost?
At Draco a 15 carat round tennis chain is CAD 4,646 at the 10K gold base, a 9 carat pear tennis necklace is CAD 6,038 and a 50 carat graduated necklace is CAD 25,222. Custom chains start at CAD 15,000. All are IGI certified at E to F colour and VS2 or better.
How wide is a diamond tennis chain?
The width of a tennis chain is the diameter of a single stone, because a tennis chain is one continuous row. A chain built from quarter carat round brilliants reads about four millimetres wide, one built from half carat stones about 5.2 millimetres, and one built from tenth carat stones about three millimetres.
Does total carat weight tell you how wide a chain will be?
No, and this is the most common mistake. The same total carat weight spread over a longer chain produces smaller stones and a narrower line. Ask for the weight of one stone rather than the total if you want to know how the chain will read.
What length should a diamond tennis chain be?
Eighteen inches is the Draco standard and sits at the collarbone, clearing most necklines. Below 16 inches a chain begins to read as a collar. Above 20 inches it tends to disappear under a shirt. Both catalogue necklaces ship at 18 inches and are customisable at checkout.
What does each metal add to a tennis chain?
Metal is a fixed percentage of the 10K gold base. Sterling silver runs 30 percent below, 14K adds 18 percent, 18K adds 38 percent and platinum adds 45 percent. On the 15 carat chain that is CAD 3,252 in silver through to CAD 6,737 in platinum.
Is a tennis chain better value than a tennis bracelet?
Per carat, yes. A 5 carat bracelet is CAD 2,720 and a 15 carat chain is CAD 4,646, so the chain carries three times the weight for about 1.7 times the price. Whether it is the better buy depends on which piece you will actually wear, since they are worn very differently.
Can Draco make a tennis chain that is not in the catalogue?
Yes. Nothing is held in finished inventory, so every piece is produced after it is ordered and a custom chain is a change of specification rather than a bespoke service. Commissions start at CAD 15,000 and are agreed before production begins.
References
- Draco Diamond catalogue pricing, read August 27, 2026.
- International Gemological Institute, diamond grading standards.
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