14k gold jewelry price per gram

Retail jewellery prices cover the metal, the labour to make the piece, the wholesaler, the shop's rent and staff, and any stones. Metal is often the smallest line in that list. A chain selling for four times its melt value is normal rather than exploitative.

Handmade and designer pieces go further still, because you are buying the design. That value is real while you own the piece and disappears the moment you sell it for scrap.

In much of Asia and the Middle East, jewellers quote the day's gold rate plus a separate making charge, often expressed as a percentage or as a fixed amount per gram. This is a more transparent version of what western retailers bundle into one price, and it makes it obvious that a heavily worked piece costs more to produce than a plain band.

Scrapping a signed piece from a recognised maker is usually a mistake. Branded jewellery, antique work and anything with a significant stone can fetch multiples of melt on the second hand market. A gold buyer will weigh it and offer you scrap value, because that is their business.

Check for a maker's mark before you sell. If there is one, get it looked at properly first.