The Price of Pure Gold and the Price of Jewelry Are Far Apart From Each Other

So Many Questions About Gold Prices

What is the cost of gold jewelry? How does the cost of gold jewelry compare to the price per ounce of gold on the metals market?

Are rings more expensive by weight than chains? What is retail markup? What makes one type of gold jewelry more expensive than another?

Here at Calla Gold Jewelry we get asked and try to answer all kinds of jewelry questions. With help from my mathematically happening husband Jeremy, we take on these questions!

Is There a Rule of Thumb to Predicting the Cost of Gold Jewelry to Buy?

Is there a rule of thumb a person can use to calculate the cost of a 14k piece of jewelry? I wish it were that easy. Let’s break it down in to what we can figure out.

24kt vs. 14kt.

24k gold is 100% gold. Why the number “24”? All you need to know is it’s an ancient story having to do with kings and seed pods, best left for another time.
Do know this: 14k gold is 14 parts real gold and 10 parts other metals, or expressed as a percentage, 58% gold and 42% other stuff. 18k gold is 75% gold and 25% other junk.

You Need to Figure the Difference Between Ounces and Grams

Ounces vs. Grams

Unfortunately, pure gold is typically sold by the ounce while karatKarat is a measure of the percentage of pure gold in jewelry. 24 karat (24k) gold is 100% gold. 14k gold is made up of 58% gold and 42% other metals (14 parts gold, to 10 parts other metals. jewelry (kt.) is usually sold by the gram. Thus, we have to convert ounces to grams to find out the cost of the gold in a particular piece of jewelry.
One troy ounce equals 31.1 grams. If pure gold is selling for $1700 per ounce in the metal markets, then one gram is going for $54.66 ($1700/31.1g).

“Give Me a For Instance”

So let’s say a particular 14k gold chain weighs 20 grams. Remember, only 58% of the weight is pure gold. The other 42% is a conglomeration of other metals. (Called alloyAlloys are formed when two or more elements are combined to form a different type of metal with special attributes. The new metal is typically stronger, more durable, and may be a different color. metals). So: 58% of 20g = 11.6g. In other words, out of that 20 gram chain, only 11.6 grams of it are pure gold. And with gold at $1700/oz.—or $54.66/gram—the gold in the chain would be worth $634 ($54.66 x 11.6 = $634).

Three Reasons it Costs Way More in the Store

But wait! In the store that 20 gram chain is selling for $1,560. What’s up with that?

1. Our calculations up to this point haven’t included the cost of the other metals.

2. We haven’t figured in the cost of labor to make the chain.

3. We haven’t bumped up the price to a retail level. So far, we’ve been figuring things out on a beginning level.

Snake Chain, Machine Made in Italy, 14kt

Explanation With Lots of Math!

What this means is that if the 20 gram chain is selling for $1,560 and $634 is the cost of the gold, the other $926 ($1560 – $634 = $926) includes the cost of the other metals, the labor, and the jeweler’s profit. What percentage is the cost of the other metals? The labor? And the markup from the jeweler? Unknown!

All I can tell you with certainty is that if pure gold is selling for $1700/oz. and the weight of the 14k chain is 20 grams, then the gold is worth $634. There is no way to know what the jeweler paid for the chain from the manufacturer. Furthermore, we don’t know what gold was going for at the time of purchase. The jeweler might have bought it when gold was at $1500 per ounce. Or $1800 per ounce!

Add Gemstones and it’s a Whole New Calculation

Gemstones Add a Level of Complexity

Finally, we’ve only talked about the gold. If there are gemstones in the piece… Yikes! So for that reason we’ll just speak to gold-only jewelry in seeking a rule of thumb.

“What Should I Expect the Markup to Be?”

To have a rule of thumb on what mark-up to expect, think a minimum of double. If the cost of a chain is $500.00 expect to pay $1,000.00 or more. A machine made chain will have a cost of the gold, plus alloyed metals, plus labor to make it.

Any retail mark-up of course takes into account rents, marketing, staffing and we just won’t go there. Just know that the reason you can’t get it at the price the jeweler does is because you aren’t buying a kilo at a time from that particular manufacturer.

The Cost of Making Chains vs. Earrings

A popular style of gold chain will be more reasonably priced than say a pair of earring as an earring takes more time and steps to make. Also a company might make 100 pair of earrings in one year, while they make 1,000 pieces of a frequently ordered chain style.

They can make that chain style again and again for years, but the styles of earrings change regularly, and the cost of designing and testing each earring style would increase the overall cost of the earrings as well.

Custom Made Engagement RingAn engagement ring is a ring that a man gives to a woman when he proposes to her. After she’s married, it will be worn together with her wedding bandTypically, bands are simple rings of uniform width. They can be thick or thin. Occasionally, gemstones will be flush set in bands..

“How Do Designer Jewelry and Custom Jewelry Prices  Get Figured Out?”

If you have a one-of-a-kind custom made ring created for you, your price to be paid will be greater, than a similar weight ring that was factory made. The price needs to pay the designer and the individual tasks of wax carving, castingCasting is a process in which melted metal is poured into a jewelry-shaped mold and allowed to harden., polishing, settingA setting is any open element on a piece of jewelry into which a gemstone will be set. Settings include prongs, bezels, channels, or any other method of holding a gem in place. and putting on the special finishes or textures or engraving that make your ring unique.

A custom wedding or engagement ringAn engagement ring is a ring that a man gives to a woman when he proposes to her. After she’s married, it will be worn together with her wedding bandTypically, bands are simple rings of uniform width. They can be thick or thin. Occasionally, gemstones will be flush set in bands.. has no economy of scale because it is one of a kind. So expect to pay more for the singular care that goes into its making.

The Bigger the Factory….

The more multiples of that piece of jewelry that are out there in the marketplace, the less you pay by weight for the designDesigning jewelry starts with a drawing of an idea. Next, a hand-carved or 3D CAD (computer aided design) wax model of the drawing is fabricated. After the wax model is completed, the piece is cast in medal. and initial set up to make it. That cost has been absorbed by the many pieces made.

You Are an Individual and There’s No Rule of Thumb About You

He Wanted a Lego Ring. He Went Custom.

Where you’re getting the “only one” or ” that style made just for you,” you are paying for art, not something readily available. The fame and popularity of the designer will also have an effect the price you’ll pay for their designDesigning jewelry starts with a drawing of an idea. Next, a hand-carved or 3D CAD (computer aided design) wax model of the drawing is fabricated. After the wax model is completed, the piece is cast in medal. work.

There really is no rule of thumb for figuring this stuff out, but now that you are armed with some information, I hope you feel more comfortable when shopping for jewelry and know what to expect.

Get something that is as unique as you are.

Calla Gold