Today’s price at a glance
| Weight | 24K | 22K | 18K |
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What a 22-carat necklace really costs
The rate quoted above covers the metal alone. A finished piece of jewellery adds making charges and GST on top. Working from 10 grams of 22-carat gold at today’s price, the bill comes out as follows.
Jewellers set their own making charges, so the final figure at the counter can differ from one shop to the next. Hallmarked pieces and plain coins or bars usually carry lower charges than heavily worked ornaments.
Gold Price Today: Reading the three purities
24-carat gold is the purest form, close to 99.9 per cent, and is the usual choice for coins and bars. 22-carat gold, at 91.6 per cent purity, is what most jewellers use for ornaments because the added alloy makes it hard enough to wear. 18-carat gold holds 75 per cent gold and costs noticeably less per gram, which is why it turns up in studded and lighter-weight designs.