Learn before you buy gold
Short, original tips and 60-second lessons — written so you walk into a jeweller informed.
Today's tip
GST and sales tax are on top
India adds 3% GST on gold value + 5% on making charges. Pakistan typically adds 1% sales tax + 1% income tax. Always confirm the final landed price before paying.
Today's lesson
Why prices move during Asian hours
London and New York set the deep liquidity, but the Shanghai Gold Exchange (open 9am–3pm IST) often pre-prices the day. Watching the SGE close can hint at the European open.
All quick tips
- Buy by weight, not by piece
- 22K is 91.67% of 24K — verify on the bill
- Hallmark before haggling
- Making charges are negotiable
- Coins beat ornaments for investment
- Sunday rates are stale
- Watch the USD, not just the rupee
- Old-gold exchange weigh in front of you
- GST and sales tax are on top
- Festive premium is real
- Buyback policy in writing
- Don't trust round numbers
- Tola is 11.6638g, not 12
- Buying abroad check landing duty
- ETFs vs physical zero making zero storage
- Polki and Kundan hide weight
- Two shops same hour compare
- Don't melt at the first shop
- Per-tola vs per-10g — recheck
- Receipts unlock resale
- Watch geopolitics not horoscopes
- Diwali week is not the cheapest
- Online rate pages can be hours old
- Karat vs purity 916 equals 22K
- Pay by card not cash above 50k
- Don't average down on a falling market
- Wedding sets ask for break-up
- Touchstone test takes 90 seconds
- Lockers cost less than you think
- Track the close not the open
60-second lessons
- How is the local gold rate calculated
- Why 31.1035 grams in an ounce
- What does spot price actually mean
- Why does India pay more than Pakistan
- How tola compares to 10 grams
- What is making charge really
- Why 24K is not used for daily jewellery
- USD strength vs gold price
- Why prices move during Asian hours
- BIS hallmark simply explained
- Sovereign Gold Bonds vs physical
- Why per-gram is the only honest unit
- The wastage charge what it really is
- How import duty changes affect you
- Why gold rises during war and inflation