Gold Karat Purity Chart: 24K vs 22K vs 21K vs 18K — Pakistan Buyer's Guide

Walk into any sarafa bazaar in Pakistan and the first number you'll hear after the design is the karat — 24K, 22K, 21K, sometimes 18K. The price per tola changes with each one, and buying the wrong karat for your purpose can cost you thousands of rupees at resale.

This guide gives you the complete purity chart, explains what each karat is actually used for in Pakistan, shows you how to read the tiny stamps on your jewellery, and tells you what each karat means when it's time to sell.

Karat is simply a measure of purity: out of 24 parts, how many are pure gold. The rest is alloy — metals like copper, silver, or nickel added for strength and colour.

Save this chart — it doesn't change, no matter what the daily rate does.

24K — investment, not jewellery. 24K is virtually pure gold. In Pakistan it is bought as bars, coins, and biscuits — a store of value that tracks the international price directly. But 24K is too soft for jewellery. A 24K bangle bends, scratches, and loses its shape with normal wear. If a shop offers you "24K jewellery," treat the claim with caution.

22K — the Pakistani jewellery standard. 22K (91.6% pure) is the workhorse of the Pakistani jewellery market. It is hard enough to hold the intricate designs local craftsmen are known for — detailed bridal sets, chooriyan, jhumkay — while staying close to pure gold in value. Most wedding jewellery in Pakistan is 22K.

21K — the everyday compromise. 21K (87.5% pure) appears in lighter, more affordable jewellery. The extra alloy makes it harder and cheaper. The trade-off is resale — less gold per tola means a lower melt value. Always insist the karat is stamped on the piece and written on the receipt.

18K — for diamonds and coloured gold. 18K (75% pure) is the standard for diamond settings, studs, and white or rose gold pieces. If you are buying diamond jewellery in Pakistan, 18K is what you will almost always get.

14K — uncommon in Pakistan. 14K (58.5% pure) is common in Western fashion jewellery but rare in Pakistani sarafa markets.

Genuine gold jewellery carries a tiny stamp — the hallmark — usually inside a ring band, on the clasp of a chain, or on the back of a pendant. In Pakistan you will most often see a three-digit number: the gold content in parts per thousand.

So a bangle stamped 916 is 22K. A chain stamped 750 is 18K. The stamp is your proof — and it is what a dealer will look for first at resale.

1. Find the stamp. If the piece has no karat mark, ask why — and think twice.
2. Match the stamp to the claim. A "22K set" stamped 875 is a 21K set with a 22K price tag.
3. Get it in writing. The receipt should state the karat, the weight in tolas or grams, and the making charges as separate line items.

Here is the part jewellers rarely volunteer: making charges are lost on resale, whatever the karat. When you sell, the dealer pays only for the gold content — assayed or melt-tested at the actual karat — at that day's rate, often slightly below it.

• 24K bars/coins: the cleanest resale. Weighed, rate applied, done.
• 22K jewellery: assayed at 91.6%. You recover most of the gold value.
• 21K jewellery: assayed at 87.5%. Lower gold content per tola means a lower payout.
• 18K pieces: assayed at 75%. Small diamonds are often valued minimally at resale, so the gold weight carries the payout.
• Unstamped or mismatched pieces: expect the dealer to test conservatively — a lower offer.

Before you buy any gold in Pakistan, check the live gold rate for the day — and if you are buying jewellery, compare the 22K rate per tola or 21K rate per tola against the shop's quote.