Gold and silver guides
These guides are written for people who buy gold, sell it or pay zakat on it and want to understand what happens at the jeweller's counter before they pay. Each article explains one idea from the beginning: how the gram price comes from the ounce price, what a karat means, how making charges and hallmarking work, what is deducted when you sell scrap, and when a coin or a bar makes more sense.
The worked examples are recomputed with every price update, so the figures you read are today's, not the day the article was written. The articles explain; they do not recommend. The decision to buy or sell stays yours.
How the gold price per gram is calculated from the ounce price, with examples for every karat
Gold is priced worldwide in dollars per troy ounce, and every gram price in every currency is derived from it by one formula. We walk through it step by step with today's figures for 24K, 22K, 21K, 18K and 14K, and explain why a shop's price differs from the result.
24K, 22K, 21K, 18K, 14K and 9K explained: purity, uses and which karat to buy
A karat is the share of pure gold in a piece out of 24 parts. We explain what each karat means, why countries favour different karats, how purity drives price, hardness, colour and resale value, and which karat suits saving and which suits wearing.
Making charges and hallmarks: how they are calculated and how to negotiate them
The making charge is the only negotiable part of a gold price. We explain what it covers, how it is quoted per gram or as a percentage in different markets, what a hallmark is and who strikes it, and how to work out the real making charge in any offer in a minute and negotiate it with numbers.
Selling scrap gold: what is deducted and why, and how to avoid losing money
When you sell used gold the buyer pays its melt value less a deduction and never refunds the making charge. We explain every deduction one by one, how to compute what you will receive at today's price, when an exchange beats a sale, where to sell, and the mistakes that cost sellers the most.
The gold pound and the Sovereign: weight, karat, price, and when a coin beats a bar
The Egyptian gold pound is 8 grams of 21K, the British Sovereign 7.98 grams of 22K; both are priced by their fine-gold content plus a small premium. We explain how they differ, how they are priced and sold, how they compare with the Krugerrand, the Eagle and the Britannia, and when a coin is the better choice over a bar.
Zakat on gold and silver: the nisab, the lunar year and worn jewellery, with worked examples
A complete guide to zakat on gold and silver: the conditions, the nisab (85 grams of gold and 595 grams of silver) and its value today, the Hijri year, the schools' views on worn jewellery with the fatwa authorities' positions, mixing karats, combining silver with gold, and examples worked step by step.
Gold or silver for saving and investing: a practical comparison in numbers
Silver is far cheaper than gold but more volatile, bulkier to store and taxed more heavily in some markets. We compare the two metals on price, volatility, liquidity, storage, tax, zakat and the gold-to-silver ratio, and say who each one suits.
Bars versus jewellery versus gold ETFs: the real cost of each way to own gold
Three ways to own gold, each with a different cost of getting in and out: the premium on a bar, the making charge and scrap deduction on jewellery, the annual fee of a fund. We compute the real cost of each with today's figures and say who each route suits.
How to tell real gold: hallmarks, tests and certificates
From reading a hallmark to the magnet, ceramic, density, acid and XRF tests, from checking a bar's sealed pack and certificate to spotting plated jewellery and filled bars. A practical guide for the shop counter and for anyone buying bullion, in person or online.
What moves the gold price: rates, the dollar, inflation, central banks and physical demand
The gold price does not move at random; five main drivers explain most of its movement: the dollar, US interest rates and the real yield, inflation, central-bank buying, and physical demand from jewellery and crises. We explain each driver with examples from recent years and how to read them together.
Saving in gold every month: a practical plan with a fixed amount
How to save in gold with a fixed monthly amount without trying to time the market: choosing the unit (gram, coin, small bar, fund), keeping premiums and making charges down, storage and records, yearly zakat, and when and how to sell. With a worked one-year schedule at today's prices.
Silver: fineness (999, 958, 925, 800), hallmarks and price, and how to buy and sell it
Everything a buyer needs to know about silver: the 999, 958, 925 and 800 finenesses and what each number means, hallmarks and marks, today's gram price and why the making charge is such a large share of a silver piece, investment silver against jewellery, tarnish and storage, and tests for genuineness.
Gold and silver glossary: karat, fineness, spot, spread, premium, tola, nisab and more
More than fifty terms a buyer hears at the jeweller's and in market news, explained briefly with examples: from karat, hallmark, making charge and scrap to spot, futures, premium, spread, the troy ounce, the tola, the nisab and the hawl.