Gold Buying Guide for Indian Customers
Buying gold jewellery is as much about understanding what you're paying for as it is about choosing a design you love. This guide walks through the basics — purity, hallmarking, making charges and pricing — so you can ask the right questions at any showroom, including ours.
Gold purity is measured in karats (K), where 24K represents essentially pure gold. Pure gold is very soft, so jewellery is usually made with an alloy — a mix of gold with small amounts of other metals like copper, silver or zinc — for strength and durability.
- 24K (999): About 99.9% pure gold. Very soft, mainly used for coins and bars rather than everyday jewellery.
- 22K (916): About 91.6% pure gold. The most common purity for traditional Indian gold jewellery — a good balance of purity and durability.
- 18K (750): About 75% pure gold. Popular for diamond-studded and contemporary designs because it's harder and holds stones more securely.
- 14K (585): About 58.5% pure gold. More affordable and durable, less common in traditional Indian jewellery but used in some modern pieces.
Neither purity is "better" in an absolute sense — it depends on what the piece is for. A daily-wear ring benefits from the extra strength of 18K, while a traditional necklace is often expected to be 22K.
A hallmark is an independent verification that the purity stamped on a piece of jewellery is accurate. In India, this is done through BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) hallmarking, which includes a unique HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification) number for each piece.
Always check that the purity mentioned on your bill matches the hallmark stamped on the jewellery itself. For more detail on how this system works, see our BIS Hallmark Guide.
The final price of a gold jewellery piece is generally made up of three parts:
- Gold value: the weight of gold in the piece, multiplied by the current gold rate for that day.
- Making charges: the cost of craftsmanship, which can be a flat amount or a percentage of the gold value, and usually varies with how intricate the design is.
- GST: applicable tax as per current government rates.
Because the gold rate changes daily, the exact price of the same design can differ from one day to the next. It's always worth asking for a clear breakdown of gold value, making charges and any stone value separately.
- Ask what purity (22K, 18K etc.) the piece is, and confirm it's hallmarked.
- Ask for the day's gold rate being used for your bill.
- Ask for making charges to be shown separately from the gold value.
- If the piece has stones, ask whether their value is included separately.
- Ask about the exchange policy in case you'd like to exchange the piece later — see our Gold Exchange Guide.
Have a specific design or budget in mind? Our team is happy to talk you through your options.