Smart Gold Buying in 2025

Smart Gold Buying in 2025: Everything You Need to Know About Making Charges, Hallmarking & Purity

In the ever-evolving world of gold jewellery, making an informed purchase in 2025 means more than just picking a pretty design. As gold prices rise and awareness among customers increases, knowing the finer details—like making charges, BIS hallmarking, and gold purity—can help you shop smart and get true value for your money.

Whether you’re buying for an investment, a wedding, or gifting, this guide will help you become a savvy gold buyer.

✅ 1. Understanding Making Charges: What Are You Really Paying For?

When you buy gold jewellery, you’re not just paying for the gold. You’re also paying for the craftsmanship, known as making charges.

• What are Making Charges?
  These are the labour costs involved in creating the jewellery. In India, they typically range from 8% to 25% of the gold value—or can be charged at a fixed per gram rate.

• Tip to Save:
  Always compare making charges across jewellers, especially during festivals when many offer discounts or zero-loss exchange schemes.

• Pro Tip: Opt for jewellers who offer transparent billing and let you know the exact gold weight and making charge separately.

????️ 2. The Role of BIS Hallmarking: Your Guarantee of Purity

BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) Hallmarking is now mandatory for all gold jewellery sold in India.

• What it means: A BIS hallmark ensures that the gold you’re buying meets the declared purity standard, whether it’s 22K, 18K or 14K.

• What to Check:

  1. BIS logo

  2. Purity in karats and fineness (e.g., 22K916 means 91.6% pure)

  3. Hallmarking centre’s ID

  4. Jeweller’s ID

  5. Year of marking

• Why It Matters: Without a hallmark, you could be paying for 22K gold but receiving only 20K or less.

???? 3. Calculating Value: How to Know You’re Getting a Fair Deal

To calculate the actual value of your gold jewellery:

Formula:
(Gold Rate per gram × Gold Weight) + Making Charges + GST (3%) = Final Price

For example, if:

• Gold Rate = ₹6,000/gm

• Weight = 10 grams

• Making Charge = ₹500/gm
  Then:

• Base Value = ₹60,000

• Making = ₹5,000

• GST = ₹1,950

• Total = ₹66,950

???? Smart Tip: Many jewellers, like Keshavji Chhaganlal Jewellers, offer real-time gold rates and clear breakdowns—use them!

???? 4. Avoiding Loss in Gold Exchange

When exchanging old jewellery:

• Ensure the old piece is weighed accurately without stones or attachments.

• Prefer jewellers with zero deduction or zero loss exchange policies.

• Check if they offer 100% value of old gold based on current rates.

✨ Pro Buyer Move: Ask for a purity test report before exchanging.

???? Smart Buyer Checklist for 2025:

✅ Check BIS Hallmark
✅ Ask for purity and weight breakdown
✅ Understand making charges
✅ Compare gold rates before buying
✅ Prefer reputed jewellers with transparent pricing
✅ Take invoice and certification

❓FAQs

Q1. What is a good making charge for gold jewellery in 2025?
A: Anything between ₹400–₹600 per gram or 10%–15% of gold value is reasonable. It varies by design complexity and jeweller.

Q2. Is hallmarking compulsory now?
A: Yes, as per Indian government norms, all gold jewellery must be BIS hallmarked.

Q3. Can I exchange old gold without any deductions?
A: Many trusted jewellers like Keshavji Chhaganlal offer zero loss exchange based on current gold rates.

Q4. How do I check if my gold is real?
A: Look for BIS hallmark and test it using karat meters available at reputed jewellery stores.

Q5. Why is 24K gold not used in jewellery?
A: 24K is too soft. Most jewellery is made in 22K, 18K, or 14K for durability and stone-setting.