Sell Asian gold by post — 22ct and 24ct, paid at measured purity

British retail gold (the 9ct, 14ct, 18ct sold on the UK high street) is typically marked clearly, assayed by a UK office, and the stamp matches the metal content closely. Asian gold (22ct and 24ct pieces brought from the Indian subcontinent, the Gulf, or the Far East) is also typically marked, but the marks are unfamiliar to most UK retail buyers and the buyers often default to the lower of the visible options when valuing.

The XRF reading removes that ambiguity. A piece reading 91.67% gold is 22ct regardless of what stamp it carries. A piece reading 99.5% gold is 24ct (within the tolerance the British 999 hallmark covers). Each piece is paid at the rate its measured purity supports.

22ct gold (91.67% fine) is worth roughly 2.4 times what the same weight of 9ct gold (37.5% fine) is worth at scrap. The difference is mechanical: more fine gold per gram, more fine gold value. A 25-gram 22ct gold bangle is worth almost two-and-a-half times what the same 25 grams would be worth if it were 9ct.

The most common mistake we see on Asian gold pieces sent for scrap valuation elsewhere is the piece being valued at 18ct or even 9ct because the buyer either could not read the unfamiliar stamp or chose to be conservative. The XRF reading prevents this; the metal content is measured directly and the rate is set on the measurement, not the stamp.

22ct gold chains brought from India can run from 8 grams (a thin necklace chain) to 60 grams (a substantial gentleman's curb chain). Asian-style bangles can run from 6 grams (a thin children's bangle set) to 35 grams or more (a substantial adult bangle in solid 22ct). Mangalsutra necklaces are typically 15 to 25 grams of 22ct. Rings are usually 5 to 15 grams.

22ct chains and bangles are often hollow rather than solid, particularly larger ornate pieces. Hollow construction does not change the per-gram rate (the gold purity is still 91.67%) but it does mean the total weight is lower than a solid piece of the same external dimensions. The XRF reading and the scale handle both identically.

22ct and 24ct gold bought in the subcontinent or the Gulf is often sold in sealed plastic envelopes with the jeweller's name, the weight, and the purity stamped on the seal. If your pieces are in original sealed packaging, do not break the seal before posting. The sealed packaging is sometimes useful for provenance and the seller stamp confirms the weight at point of sale.

On arrival, the seal is photographed before opening, the piece is removed, weighed on calibrated scales (to confirm the original weight stamp), and XRF-tested. The seller-stamped weight occasionally differs from the actual weight by a small amount; the calibrated reading is the figure used on the offer.