22K Gold Price Today

22 karat gold contains 91.67% pure gold with 8.33% alloying metals such as silver, copper, and zinc. It is the dominant purity for jewelry across India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, hallmarked with 916 fineness to certify its gold content.

22K gold holds deep cultural significance in India, where gold jewelry is an integral part of weddings, festivals, and family wealth. Indian brides traditionally receive elaborate 22K gold sets including necklaces, bangles, earrings, and maang tikka as part of their wedding trousseau. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mandates hallmarking on all gold jewelry sold in India, and the 916 stamp is the most commonly seen mark in jewelry shops nationwide.

In the Middle East and Gulf states, 22K gold is equally prized. Gold souks in Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha are renowned for their vast collections of 22K jewelry, from intricate traditional designs to modern statement pieces. Buyers in these markets strongly prefer the rich, deep yellow color that only high-karat gold can provide.

When purchasing 22K gold jewelry, the final retail price includes the gold's intrinsic value plus making charges (also called fabrication or labor charges), which typically range from 8% to 25% of the gold value depending on the intricacy of the design. Hand-crafted and highly detailed pieces carry higher making charges than machine-made items. Understanding this distinction is important because making charges are generally not recoverable when reselling.

The key difference between 22K and 24K gold for jewelry is workability. While 24K gold is too soft to hold complex shapes or securely set gemstones, 22K gold has just enough alloy content to maintain its form while preserving an exceptionally high gold purity that is visually indistinguishable from pure gold to most observers.