Gold karats and how gold is valued

Before you sell anything, it helps to understand gold karats: what 24k, 22k, 18k and 14k mean, how purity is stamped and tested, and how a buyer turns weight and purity into an offer. This guide walks through each step, with tables you can use when you look at your own rings, chains and coins at home in Kigali.

What a karat is

Karat (k or kt, spelled carat in British English) measures how much of an item is pure gold, out of 24 parts. 24k is pure gold. 18k is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals, so 75 percent gold.

Pure gold is soft. Jewellers mix it with silver, copper, zinc or other metals to make it harder and to change its colour. The more other metal, the lower the karat and the lower the value per gram.

Karat	Fineness stamp	Gold content	Typical items
24k	999 or 9999	99.9% to 99.99%	Bars, Maple Leaf and similar coins
22k	916	91.67%	Indian and Gulf style jewellery, sovereigns, Krugerrands
21k	875	87.5%	Arab style jewellery
18k	750	75%	Fine jewellery, diamond rings
14k	585	58.5%	Everyday jewellery, many US pieces
10k	417	41.7%	Budget jewellery
9k	375	37.5%	Common in the UK

Why karat preferences differ

Where a piece was made often tells you its likely karat. In the UAE, more than half of the gold jewellery sold is 22 karat and about a fifth is 21 karat. Customers from the Arab world tend to prefer 21k, while customers from South and Southeast Asia lean toward 22k. Many families in East Africa own pieces bought in Dubai or made in Indian style, so 21k and 22k are common in Kigali jewellery boxes. Pieces from Europe or the US are more often 18k, 14k or 9k.

A little history

Gold jewellery has a long history in the region. Along the Swahili coast of Kenya and Tanzania, in places such as Lamu, Pate and Zanzibar, smiths made silver jewellery set with embossed gold plaques, shaped by centuries of trade with Oman, the Middle East and India. In Rwanda, adornment traditionally centred more on beadwork and metal bracelets than on gold: the ubutega leg bracelets were a sign of wealth, and archers' arm bracelets marked rank.

How to read hallmarks and stamps

Look inside rings, on chain clasps and on the back of pendants. A magnifying glass or your phone camera on zoom helps.

Fineness numbers and karat marks

The most useful mark is the fineness: a number such as 750, or a karat mark such as 18k. Both tell you the claimed gold content. Some pieces use both, for example "18K750".

Full hallmarks

In countries with official hallmarking, a full hallmark has several parts. The UK system uses three compulsory marks:

• Sponsor's or maker's mark: at least two letters in a shield, identifying who submitted the piece.
• Fineness mark: for example 375, 585, 750 or 916.
• Assay office mark: the office that tested it, such as the leopard's head for London or the anchor for Birmingham.

In India, hallmarked gold jewellery carries the BIS logo, a purity mark such as 22K916, and since July 2021 a six character alphanumeric code called the HUID, which is unique to each piece and can be checked in the BIS Care app.

Many pieces sold in Rwanda, especially older or locally made ones, carry only a karat stamp or no mark at all, so testing matters.

Marks that mean "not solid gold"

Mark	Meaning	Gold value
GP or 18KGP	Gold plated: a thin coat of gold over base metal. US rules require at least 0.5 microns.	Very low
HGE or HGP	Heavy gold electroplate: a thicker plate, not a legal standard in most markets.	Very low
GF or 14K GF	Gold filled: a bonded layer of at least one twentieth of the total weight under US rules.	Low
925 with a gold colour	Vermeil: gold plating over sterling silver.	Silver value plus a little gold

A piece stamped "18KGP" is plated with 18k gold. The "18K" describes the coating, not the item. This catches many sellers out.

Gold-plated or solid: how to tell

Signs that a piece may be plated or filled:

• A plating mark (GP, HGE, GF) or a silver mark (925) on a gold coloured item.
• Wear on edges and high points that shows a different coloured metal underneath.
• A green or black mark on your skin.
• A very light feel for its size. Gold is dense, about 19.3 grams per cubic centimetre when pure.
• A price at purchase far below the gold value of its weight.

Home checks can raise doubts but cannot prove a piece is solid. A professional test is needed for that.

How purity is tested

Method	How it works	Pros	Cons
XRF (X-ray fluorescence)	X-rays make the metal give off a signal that shows its composition	Fast, accurate, no damage	Reads only the surface, so thick plating can mislead it
Acid test	Item is rubbed on a touchstone and the streak is treated with acids of known strength	Cheap and widely used	Leaves a small mark, less precise, depends on skill
Electronic tester	Measures electrical conductivity	Quick, cheap	Less reliable on plated items and some alloys
Density test	Weighs the item in air and in water	No damage, catches some fakes	Hard with stones or hollow pieces
Magnet test	A strong magnet should not attract gold	Free, instant	Many fakes are non-magnetic, so passing proves little

XRF is the best option for valuable pieces because it does not damage them. Its weakness is that it analyses only a thin surface layer, about 10 microns deep. A heavily plated fake can read as gold, so careful testers take readings in more than one place, check clasps and cut ends, and combine methods when something looks wrong.

Always ask which method will be used before testing starts. If someone tells you the only way to confirm your gold is to cut or melt it on the spot, be cautious.

Gemstones, diamonds and other parts

Stones are not gold, and their weight should not be paid for as gold. Buyers handle them in different ways:

• Remove the stones and weigh the metal alone.
• Deduct an estimated weight for the stones, which can cost you money if the estimate is generous.
• Value good stones separately: larger diamonds, roughly a quarter carat and up, and quality gemstones may have resale value.
• Pay nothing for small chips: tiny diamonds and low quality stones that are hard to remove usually add no value to a scrap offer.

If a piece has a stone you care about, ask a jeweller to remove it before you sell the metal. Also watch for steel springs inside clasps, solder, and pearls or enamel, which add weight but no gold.

How a buyer values your gold

Buyers start from the melt value:

Melt value = weight (g) x purity x price of pure gold per gram

Then they deduct for testing, refining losses and costs, the risk that the price falls before they sell the gold on, and their margin. The offer you receive is a percentage of melt value.

Example: a mixed jewellery box

Using an indicative 24k price of RWF 196,600 per gram (our live feed on 5 October 2026):

Item	Weight	Karat	Pure gold	Melt value (approx.)
Wedding band	4 g	18k	3.0 g	RWF 589,800
Chain	12 g	21k	10.5 g	RWF 2,064,300
Earrings	3 g	14k	1.76 g	RWF 345,000
Total	19 g		15.26 g	about RWF 2,999,000

Ask each buyer which weight, karat and price per gram they used. Then divide their offer by your melt value to see the real percentage. Comparing that percentage is the fairest way to compare buyers. For today's figures, use the calculator on our gold price in Rwanda page.

Coins and bars

Well known bullion coins have fixed gold content, which makes them easy to value:

• Krugerrand: 22k, 33.93 g total, containing one troy ounce (31.1 g) of pure gold.
• British sovereign: 22k, containing 7.32 g of pure gold.
• Maple Leaf: 99.99% pure, one troy ounce.

Bars from recognised refiners usually show weight, fineness, refiner and a serial number. Keep any certificate or packaging, as it helps buyers verify quickly.

Ready to sell?

Now that you know your karats, stamps and melt value, you are in a strong position. Read how the process works on sell gold in Kigali, check the home page for the live price, or, if you prefer Kinyarwanda, see igiciro cya zahabu. Then fill in the form below with what you have, and we will help you get fair, transparent offers from licensed buyers and jewellers in Kigali.