Guides / Gold jewelry price calculator: melt value, scrap offer and retail
Gold jewelry price calculator: melt value, scrap offer and retail
Weigh the piece, pick the karat, enter today's price of pure gold. You get the melt value, what to offer a seller and a retail estimate. Works with grams, pennyweight and troy ounces, in any currency.
Enter today's spot price from your dealer or a market site. The calculator does not fetch prices, so it never shows a stale number as live. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The formula
Melt value = weight (g) x purity x price per gram of pure gold. Example: a 10 g, 14k chain with gold at 85 per gram: 10 x 0.585 x 85 = 497.25.
| Karat | Purity | Gold per 10 g of jewelry |
|---|---|---|
| 24k | .999 | 9.99 g |
| 22k | .916 | 9.16 g |
| 18k | .750 | 7.50 g |
| 14k | .585 | 5.85 g |
| 10k | .417 | 4.17 g |
| 9k / 9ct | .375 | 3.75 g |
Scrap offers: what is a fair percentage?
Buyers who melt gold need to cover refining, assay, risk and margin, so offers are usually a share of melt value. The share depends on your market, volume and the piece (clean scrap versus mixed with stones). Pick a percentage that you can defend to a seller and still pay your costs, and show the weight and purity on the receipt so the customer sees how the offer was made.
Before you quote
- Weigh without stones where possible; stone weight is not gold. Deduct it or estimate it.
- Test the karat. Hallmarks can be wrong or absent; use an acid test, an electronic tester or XRF for purchases.
- Check the date and time of the price you use. Gold moves during the day.
- Record every purchase: seller ID, item, weight, purity, price, date. Many places require a buy record for second-hand gold.
Ayaro, our jewelry store app, shows a live gold price per gram and ounce on the home screen and keeps karat and weight on every item.
Want this done for you?
Ayaro keeps karat and weight on every piece and shows the live gold price per gram and ounce, so quotes and stock values use the same numbers.
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Ayaro is a small jewelry store app by Pulad Labs (Istanbul): jewelry inventory, point of sale, layaway and store credit, repair tracking, live gold price. Android and any browser.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the value of gold jewelry?
Multiply the weight in grams by the purity (14k = 0.585) to get the pure gold content, then multiply by today's price of pure gold per gram. That is the melt value. Scrap buyers pay a percentage of it; retail jewelry is priced above it for design, labor and stones.
What is the purity of 9ct, 10k, 14k and 18k gold?
9k = .375, 10k = .417, 14k = .585, 18k = .750, 22k = .916 and 24k = .999 (often written .9999 for fine gold).
How many grams are in a troy ounce and a pennyweight?
One troy ounce is 31.1035 grams. One pennyweight (dwt) is 1.5552 grams, and 20 dwt make a troy ounce.
Does this calculator show the live gold price?
No. You enter today's spot price. We deliberately do not show a price we cannot keep current.