Asian gold
Selling 22ct & Tola Gold in the UK: What Your Asian Gold Is Really Worth
If you're selling 22ct wedding gold, inherited sets, or tola-weighted pieces, you're in a stronger position than most sellers — high-carat gold sells close to melt. But that only helps if you know the melt figure before you walk in. This guide is for the audience the big UK calculators ignore.
Why 22ct sells better than 9ct scrap
22ct gold is 91.7% pure (916 fineness) versus 9ct at just 37.5%. More gold per gram means more value, and because high-carat Asian gold is clean, well-marked and easy to refine, dealers compete harder for it — payouts often reach the 85–92% band rather than the 50–60% mixed-scrap gets. Bangles, chains and coins in 22ct are effectively near-bullion.
Understand tola before you weigh
Much South-Asian jewellery is weighed in tola, not grams. One tola = 11.6638 g. So a "one tola" 22ct bangle is:
11.6638 g × 0.9167 fineness × (gold price per gram) = its melt value
Our calculator supports tola directly (plus grams, troy ounces and pennyweight) — pick "tola" in the unit dropdown and it converts for you, then shows melt and realistic payout together.
Sets, stones and "making charges"
- Sets: add each piece as its own row in the multi-item calculator to get one combined total.
- Stones: dealers pay for the gold weight only — kundan, meena and CZ add weight but little value. Ask whether stones are deducted or the piece is weighed gross.
- Making charges never come back: the labour you paid at purchase isn't recoverable on a scrap/melt sale. You're selling metal, not craftsmanship.
Getting the best payout
- Weigh in grams or tola on a 0.01 g scale; note the carat stamp (916/22K).
- Get melt + realistic payout from the calculator before contacting anyone.
- Prefer buyers who quote a clear % of the live 22ct price; specialist and online refiners usually beat high-street "cash for gold".
- Selling investment coins (Sovereigns) among the set? Those are CGT-exempt — see our gold tax guide.
High-carat gold is the best gold to sell. Know your number and you'll get what it's worth.
All figures are estimates of melt value, never offers. Not financial or tax advice.