Every few months someone in our family is getting married, and the same little argument plays out at the jeweller’s counter. One aunt insists on 24K because “it’s the real thing.” Someone else, usually the one who actually wears jewellery, quietly points out that 24K bends if you look at it wrong. They’re both right, and that’s exactly why people get confused.

So let’s settle it the way it actually gets settled in most Pakistani households — practically.

What the karat number really means

Karat is just a measure of how much of the metal is pure gold, out of 24 parts. 24K is 99.9% gold. 22K is about 91.7%. 21K is 87.5%, and 18K is 75%. The rest is other metals — copper, silver, zinc — mixed in to make the gold harder.

That last bit is the whole story. Pure gold is soft. Genuinely soft. A 24K bangle worn every day will scratch, lose its shape, and the stones set into it will work loose. It looks gorgeous in the box and sad after a year of real life.

For something you’ll wear — a set, bangles, a ring — 22K is the sweet spot almost everyone lands on. For something you’re buying to keep wealth, 24K makes more sense.

Why 22K wins for wear

22K keeps that deep yellow colour we associate with “proper” gold, but the small amount of alloy makes it durable enough to survive being worn at every shaadi, mehndi and Eid for the next twenty years. This is why, if you walk into most jewellers in Karachi or Lahore and ask for a bridal set, they’ll quote you 22K without even asking. It’s the default for a reason.

21K and 18K are common in some imported and machine-made designs, and 18K in particular holds intricate stone settings beautifully because it’s harder. But for traditional Pakistani jewellery, 22K is the language everyone speaks.

When 24K actually makes sense

If the real goal is saving — putting money into gold rather than the bank — then you want as much actual gold for your rupee as possible, and you don’t care about durability because it’s going to sit in a locker. That’s where 24K earns its place: coins, small bars, or simple chains you can sell back later at close to the gold value, without losing much to design and making charges.

A lot of families do both, and that’s the smart move: 22K for the jewellery the bride will wear, and a couple of 24K coins tucked away as the part that’s really an investment.

The number nobody mentions until the end

Here’s the trap. Two jewellers can quote the “same” rate and you still pay very different amounts, because of making charges — the labour cost added on top of the gold. On a heavy, detailed set, making can add a serious amount. Pure coins and bars have almost none; intricate handwork has a lot.

So before you fall in love with a piece, ask two questions plainly: what karat is it, and what is the making charge per tola? Then check the gold value yourself against today’s rate. If you know the 22K rate going in, you can’t be talked in circles.

The short version

  • Buying to wear? Go 22K. It’s durable and it’s what bridal sets are made of here.
  • Buying to save? Go 24K coins or bars, low making charges, easy to sell back.
  • Always ask the making charge, and always know today’s rate before you walk in.

Check the current 22K and 24K rate for your city on our rate pages before your next visit — it genuinely changes how the conversation at the counter goes.