11/02/2025
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰
Gold has always been an integral part of Pakistani culture. Whether it’s for weddings, gifts, or investment purposes, buying gold jewelry is a deeply rooted tradition. However, most people in Pakistan are unaware of the hidden costs associated with purchasing gold jewelry, which can significantly impact their investment returns.
In this article, we will explore a crucial yet often overlooked fact: the gold jewelry available in Pakistan is not 24-carat gold; it is primarily 21-carat gold. Despite this difference in purity, consumers end up paying a much higher price than they should, ultimately making gold jewelry a costly investment.
𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧: 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝟐𝟒-𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭, 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝟐𝟏-𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭
A common misconception among buyers is that the gold jewelry they purchase is of the highest purity—24-carat gold (which is 99.99% pure). However, it is technically impossible to make jewelry in 24-carat gold due to its extreme softness, which makes it impractical for crafting intricate designs.
As a result, all gold jewelry available in Pakistan is made from 21-carat gold, which has a purity of only 87.5%. Despite this lower purity, most consumers unknowingly pay a price that is nearly the same as 24-carat gold.
💡 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐚 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐔𝐬:
According to Sarafa Association representatives, only 1% of their customers buy 24-carat gold bars. The remaining 99% of buyers purchase gold in the form of 21-carat jewelry. This is because 24-carat gold bars are not readily available, and jewelers prefer selling 21-carat gold due to its significantly higher profit margins.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝟏𝟎% 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭
The Sarafa Association and Gold Bullion Association of Pakistan set daily gold rates based on international market trends. However, the price of 21-carat gold in Pakistan is artificially inflated by at least 10% compared to its actual value.
𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐡: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐲
Let’s assume the price of 24-carat gold is Rs. 100,000 per tola. Based on purity, the price of 21-carat gold should be Rs. 87,500 per tola (since it is only 87.5% pure).
However, in Pakistan, the quoted price of 21-carat jewelry is almost the same as 24-carat gold, with only a small 2-2.5% difference.
🔹 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮: Instead of paying Rs. 87,500 per tola for 21-carat gold, you are charged around Rs. 98,000 - Rs. 99,000. This extra 10% directly goes into the fixed profit margins of jewelers, making it an unavoidable cost for buyers.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐬
Beyond the inflated price of 21-carat gold, there are additional charges that make gold jewelry even more expensive:
🔹 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬: Typically 5-10% of the jewelry’s price.
🔹 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐬: Another 2-5% of the total cost.
🔹 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬: Can range from 5-7%, depending on the complexity of the design.
In total, buyers end up paying atleast 25% more than the actual value of the gold they are purchasing.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Many people buy gold jewelry thinking of it as a safe investment, assuming they can sell it later at a profit. However, the moment you step out of the jewelry shop, your gold’s resale value drops significantly.
When you sell gold jewelry, you will not get back the making charges, polishing fees, or wastage costs. Additionally, because you already paid 10% extra due to price inflation, your losses are compounded.
🔹 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤-𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
To recover the costs of buying gold jewelry, you need gold prices to increase by at least 33-40% before you can even break even. This can take months or even years, depending on market trends.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐𝟒-𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧
While 24-carat gold bars are the best way to invest in gold, they are not easily available in Pakistan. The reason? Jewelry shopkeepers don’t prefer selling 24-carat gold bars because their profit margins are too low.
💡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:
- The spread (profit margin) on 21-carat gold is around 10%.
- The spread on 24-carat gold bars is less than 1%.
Since jewelers make a guaranteed 10% profit on 21-carat jewelry, they naturally push customers towards buying jewelry rather than gold bars.
𝐁𝐮𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐𝟒-𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐬. 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐀 𝐇𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬
If you decide to invest Rs. 100 million in 24-carat gold bars, you cannot buy it from a single shop. Since most jewelers don’t keep a large stock of gold bars due to low margins, you will need to visit multiple shops to accumulate even a small quantity of gold bars.
Moreover, when it comes time to sell your 24-carat gold bars, finding a buyer can be difficult. Jewelers are more interested in buying 21-carat gold because it gives them a higher profit.
🔹 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤:
- A jeweler would rather buy Rs. 10 million worth of 21-carat jewelry than Rs. 100 million worth of 24-carat gold bars because of the higher profits on jewelry.
- If you hold 24-carat gold bars, you may have to sell them to specific bullion dealers rather than jewelry shopkeepers.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝?
Most Pakistanis believe they are making a secure investment when they buy gold jewelry. However, in reality, they are paying 25% more than the actual value of the gold and will need to wait for prices to rise by 35-40% just to break even.
If you truly want to invest in gold, avoid jewelry and opt for 24-carat gold bars. Otherwise, be prepared to pay hidden costs, jeweler profits, and resale losses before seeing any real gains.
💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤? Have you ever faced these hidden costs when buying gold jewelry? Share your experiences in the comments!
🔜 Stay tuned for our next article, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧.