Question 1

What is KaratWorth?

Accepted Answer

KaratWorth is a free online precious metals calculator for gold, silver, platinum, and jewelry. It helps you estimate melt value, understand purity, convert weight units, calculate making charges, and more.

Question 2

Is KaratWorth free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All KaratWorth calculators are completely free to use with no account required.

Question 3

Are KaratWorth results 100% accurate?

Accepted Answer

The calculations are mathematically accurate based on the inputs you provide. However, actual market values depend on live spot prices, dealer premiums, local market conditions, jewelry condition, and other factors. Always treat results as estimates.

Question 4

Does KaratWorth store my data?

Accepted Answer

No. All calculations happen entirely in your browser. We do not store, collect, or transmit any values you enter into our calculators.

Question 5

What is melt value?

Accepted Answer

Melt value is the intrinsic worth of the precious metal content in an item, calculated from weight, purity, and spot price. It represents the value if the item were melted down for its raw metal content - not accounting for craftsmanship, brand, or gemstones.

Question 6

Why is resale value different from melt value?

Accepted Answer

Resale value accounts for many additional factors: buyer margin, craftsmanship value, brand premium, gemstones, condition, demand, and market liquidity. Second-hand jewelry typically sells for 75-90% of melt value at scrap dealers.

Question 7

What is a troy ounce?

Accepted Answer

A troy ounce is the standard unit of weight for precious metals. 1 troy ounce = 31.1034768 grams. This is different from a regular (avoirdupois) ounce, which is 28.35 grams.

Question 8

What is 1 tola, bhori, or vori?

Accepted Answer

1 tola = 1 bhori = 1 vori = 11.6638038 grams. These are traditional South Asian gold weight units. Tola is used in India, Nepal, and Pakistan; bhori and vori are used in Bangladesh. Note: some Pakistani dealers use a 12.5g tola - always confirm with your dealer.

Question 9

What are making charges?

Accepted Answer

Making charges (also called labor charges or manufacturing charges) are what jewelers charge for crafting the jewelry. They cover labor, design, tools, and finishing. They are separate from the gold value and vary widely by design complexity and region.

Question 10

What does 916 mean on gold?

Accepted Answer

916 is the fineness stamp for 22 karat gold - 91.6% pure gold. It is the most popular purity for jewelry in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and the Middle East.

Question 11

What does 750 mean on gold?

Accepted Answer

750 means 18 karat gold - 75% pure gold. This is common in European and Western fine jewelry.

Question 12

What does 585 mean on gold?

Accepted Answer

585 means 14 karat gold - 58.5% pure gold. This is the most common jewelry gold in the US and Canada.

Question 13

What is the difference between 22K and 24K gold?

Accepted Answer

24K gold is 99.9% pure but very soft. 22K gold is 91.6% pure, harder and more durable - better suited for jewelry. 24K is used for bullion bars, coins, and investment gold.

Question 14

Does GP mean real gold?

Accepted Answer

No. GP stands for Gold Plated - a thin layer of gold over a base metal. Gold plated items have negligible melt value and should not be treated as solid gold.

Question 15

How do I know if a gold buyer offer is fair?

Accepted Answer

Calculate your gold's melt value using KaratWorth, then divide the buyer's offer by the melt value. A payout of 85-95% is considered fair. Below 80% may be low. Use our Gold Offer Checker for a full analysis.

Question 16

Should I get multiple quotes before selling gold?

Accepted Answer

Always get at least 2-3 quotes. Even small percentage differences can be significant on larger amounts. Knowing your melt value gives you negotiating power.

Question 17

Why do gold buyers pay less than melt value?

Accepted Answer

Buyers factor in refining costs, testing fees, overhead, and profit margin. Paying 85-95% of melt value while recovering most of it through refining is standard business practice.

Question 18

Is the Zakat calculation a religious ruling?

Accepted Answer

No. KaratWorth's zakat calculator is strictly an educational estimate tool for informational purposes. For official zakat rulings, please consult a qualified Islamic scholar.

Question 19

Does KaratWorth show live gold prices?

Accepted Answer

KaratWorth attempts to load live spot prices automatically from a public API. If the live price is unavailable, you can enter the current spot price manually from any source you trust (Kitco, Gold-Eagle, Bloomberg, etc.).

Question 20

How do I find today's gold spot price?

Accepted Answer

You can find the current gold spot price on sites like Kitco.com, Gold-Eagle.com, Bloomberg.com, or your local financial news sources. Enter this price in USD per troy ounce in KaratWorth calculators.

Question 21

Why is the live price sometimes unavailable?

Accepted Answer

Live price loading depends on an external API that may occasionally be rate-limited or temporarily unavailable. The manual fallback lets you enter any price you trust. This does not affect the accuracy of the calculation itself.

Question 22

Are the prices in USD?

Accepted Answer

Spot prices for gold, silver, and platinum are globally quoted in USD per troy ounce. KaratWorth lets you select your local currency, and the calculator applies your selected currency label to results. For accurate local-currency results, enter the spot price converted to your currency.

Frequently Asked Questions