The three numbers behind every quote
- Weight. Pakistani jewellers usually weigh in tola. One tola is 11.6638038 g, which is 180 grains or three-eighths of a troy ounce. The digital scale may show grams.
- Purity. Karat is parts of gold in 24. A 22K piece is 22/24, or 91.67% gold; 21K is 87.5%; 18K is 75%. Published bullion rates are usually for 24K.
- Charges. Making (labour) is often quoted per tola or per gram, sometimes as a flat amount. Any tax line sits on top.
The rate must match the karat of the piece. If you only have the 24K rate, multiply it by karat ÷ 24 first.
Worked quote: a 2.5 tola, 22K set
A jeweller quotes Rs 350,000 per tola for 24K (illustrative), making at Rs 8,000 per tola, and a 3% tax line. The set weighs 2.5 tola.
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 22K rate per tola | 350,000 × 22 ÷ 24 | Rs 320,833.33 |
| Metal value | 2.5 tola × 320,833.33 | Rs 802,083.33 |
| Making | 2.5 tola × 8,000 | Rs 20,000 |
| Subtotal | 802,083.33 + 20,000 | Rs 822,083.33 |
| Tax line at 3% | 822,083.33 × 0.03 | Rs 24,662.50 |
| Total | 822,083.33 + 24,662.50 | Rs 846,745.83 |
The Gold Jewellery Quote Checker works in grams and a per-gram rate, so convert first: 2.5 tola × 11.6638038 = 29.1595 g, and Rs 320,833.33 ÷ 11.6638038 = Rs 27,506.75 per gram. With those, a Rs 20,000 flat making charge and 3%, it shows Rs 846,745.57. The 26 paisa gap comes from rounding the weight and rate, not from an error.
Gold Jewellery Quote CheckerEnter the weight in grams, the per-gram rate for the piece's own karat, the making charge as one total, and the tax percentage on your bill.What the same 2.5 tola costs at different karats
Keeping the weight, making charge and tax line the same and changing only the purity shows how much of the price is the gold itself.
| Karat | Rate per tola | Rate per gram | Metal value | Total with Rs 20,000 making and 3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | Rs 350,000 | Rs 30,007.36 | Rs 875,000 | Rs 921,850 |
| 22K | Rs 320,833.33 | Rs 27,506.75 | Rs 802,083.33 | Rs 846,745.83 |
| 18K | Rs 262,500 | Rs 22,505.52 | Rs 656,250 | Rs 696,537.50 |
Making charges are small next to the metal on a heavy, plain piece, and much larger on light, detailed work. On a piece this weight, an extra Rs 2,000 per tola in making adds Rs 5,000 before tax; a one-karat difference in purity moves the metal value by about Rs 36,458.
Compare complete bills, not just making charges
A second shop offers the same 2.5 tola, 22K set at Rs 322,000 per tola, with Rs 15,000 making and the same illustrative 3% tax. Its gold line is 2.5 × 322,000 = Rs 805,000, its pre-tax subtotal is Rs 820,000, and its total is Rs 844,600. The first shop's metal rate was lower at Rs 320,833.33 per tola, but its Rs 20,000 making charge made the first complete bill Rs 846,745.83. The second shop is Rs 2,145.83 cheaper under these stated assumptions. A lower labour charge alone would not have told you that: compare weight, purity, metal rate, labour and tax base on the same invoice before deciding which offer costs less.
| Quote line | First shop | Second shop |
|---|---|---|
| 22K rate per tola | Rs 320,833.33 | Rs 322,000 |
| Metal value | Rs 802,083.33 | Rs 805,000 |
| Flat making | Rs 20,000 | Rs 15,000 |
| Total at entered 3% tax | Rs 846,745.83 | Rs 844,600 |
This comparison holds the piece's weight and claimed karat fixed. If one shop prices stones separately, allows wastage, or taxes a different base, ask it to show those lines before entering its figures in the calculator. The example isolates the arithmetic of two offers; it does not verify the jewellers' stated purity or tell you which one to trust.
Four errors to look for
- A 24K rate on 22K gold. Entering Rs 30,007.36 per gram for this 22K set gives Rs 921,849.60, about Rs 75,104 more than it should. The calculator's purity selector labels your rate; it does not convert it.
- Making charged twice. A per-tola making charge already multiplied by the weight should not be added again per tola.
- Tola and grams mixed. A per-tola rate multiplied by grams overstates the price about 11.7 times; a per-gram rate times tola understates it by the same factor.
- Stones weighed as gold. If a set contains stones, ask for the gold weight separately, and check whether the stones are charged at the gold rate.
Percent figures in quotes, such as making as a share of the metal value, are easy to misread. Percent change versus percentage points covers the common traps.
What a quote check cannot tell you
- Whether the gold is really the karat stated. Only hallmarking or assay testing shows that.
- What the jeweller will pay when you sell. Buyback rates usually deduct something from the weight or the rate, and that is not in this calculation.
- Which tax applies to your purchase. The percentage is your entry, not a rule chosen for your city or province.
- Wastage, polish or alloy additions some shops add to the weight. Ask for them as separate lines.
If you are valuing jewellery you already own for zakat, the karat question matters there too; see zakat on gold and silver: nisab explained.