The karat mark is a proportion proportion, not a grade of quality.
A gram of gold in Dubai carries a different published price for each karat mark. Divide each price by the gold actually in that gram and the marks stop looking like five separate markets. The counter's arithmetic shows a tariff, and the lower marks pay more for every gram of fine gold received.
Compare the price per gram of fine gold across marks, not the price per gram of jewellery.
Know what the stamp certifies and what it leaves out before you count it as a guarantee.
A buy-back counter pays on gold content, not on the mark or the making you paid for.
Each karat mark, priced by the gold inside it
Marks published: 30.09.2026 13:42| Karat mark | Shelf price, per gram | Gold in it | Per gram of fine gold | Against 24K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K · 999 | AED 504.50 | 99.9% | AED 505.01 | +0.00% |
| 22K · 916 | AED 467.00 | 91.7% | AED 509.44 | +0.88% |
| 21K · 875 | AED 448.00 | 87.5% | AED 512.00 | +1.39% |
| 18K · 750 | AED 384.00 | 75.0% | AED 512.00 | +1.39% |
| 14K · 585 | AED 299.50 | 58.5% | AED 511.97 | +1.38% |
The trade body publishes a price for each mark; the third column divides it by the gold that mark contains.
One question per page, answered in full
Mark by mark
The whole ladder of marks in one view, and why three of them land on one rate per gram of fine gold.
02What a hallmark says
The stamp certifies the proportion of gold, not the workmanship, the weight or the resale.
03Choosing a mark
Durability and colour pull one way, gold content the other; a published price can only speak to one.
04What resale does
The buy-back counter pays on the gold inside, and no published price states what any counter pays.
05Tax and the mark
Value added tax meets a gold purchase at the standard rate, with a separate regime for investment-grade metal.
Know the arithmetic the counter runs
The published price per gram is not the price of a gram of gold. It is the price of a gram of jewellery at that mark. Divide it by the gold the mark carries and the lower marks show themselves as a tariff, not a market.