What 10k gold is worth per gram today
A gram of 10k gold is worth $55.37, a pennyweight $86.11 and a troy ounce $1,722. That is 41.67% of the gold price, because 10k is 10 parts gold in 24. The price behind it is the gold spot price as of , and every figure on this page moves with it.
| purity | stamp | per gram | per dwt | per troy oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24k | 999 | $132.76 | $206.46 | $4,129 |
| 22k | 916 | $121.81 | $189.44 | $3,788 |
| 21k | 875 | $116.28 | $180.83 | $3,616 |
| 20k | 833 | $110.74 | $172.22 | $3,444 |
| 18k | 750 | $99.67 | $155.00 | $3,099 |
| 14k | 585 | $77.52 | $120.55 | $2,411 |
| 12k | 500 | $66.44 | $103.33 | $2,066 |
| 10k | 417 | $55.37 | $86.11 | $1,722 |
| 9k | 375 | $49.83 | $77.50 | $1,549 |
| 8k | 333 | $44.30 | $68.89 | $1,377 |
What the 417 stamp means
A 10k piece is stamped 417, sometimes 10K or 10KT. That 417 is the decimal fineness rounded down: 10 divided by 24 is 0.4167, so 41.67% of the weight is gold and the remaining 58.33% is copper, silver, zinc or nickel. Ten karat is the lowest purity that can legally be sold as gold in the United States. Below it the piece has to be described as a gold alloy, which is why you will not find an 8k or 9k American stamp even though both are normal in Britain.
The alloy is not filler for its own sake. Pure gold is soft enough to deform under a fingernail, and a ring worn daily in 24k would lose its shape in a year. The copper and nickel in 10k make it the hardest and most scratch resistant of the common karats, which is exactly why class rings, chunky chains and men’s bands are so often 10k. It is the practical choice, not the cheap one.
The trade off is colour and corrosion. With under half its weight in gold, 10k is noticeably paler and slightly pink or grey depending on the alloy, and the base metals in it can tarnish where 18k will not. If a piece you believe to be gold has gone dull green where it touches skin, low karat gold with a high copper content is the usual explanation, not a fake.
A worked example: a 10k curb chain
Take a 10k curb chain weighing 12 grams. Multiply by 0.4167 to get 5.00 grams of pure gold, then multiply that by the gold price per gram. The melt value is $664.44.
That is the metal, not the offer. The same piece at a pawn shop is typically worth $332.22 to $398.67 (50% to 60% of melt), and at a mail-in refiner $531.55 to $564.78. The calculator at the top of the page shows all four kinds of buyer for whatever you enter.
Selling 10k gold
Because gold is only 41.7% of the weight, a 10k piece is worth a little under half what the same weight in 14k fetches and about a third of the same weight in 18k. People are caught out by this constantly: a heavy 10k chain feels substantial in the hand and still carries less gold than a thin 14k one.
Small 10k items are also the ones buyers are most likely to turn down or lowball. The cost of assaying and refining a lot is roughly fixed, so it eats a much larger share of a $60 melt value than of a $600 one. If you have several low karat pieces, take them in together as one lot rather than one at a time.
The percentages above are typical published trade spreads rather than quotes. What buyers actually pay sets out where each band comes from, and how we calculate shows every constant used on this page.
10k gold questions
What does 417 mean on gold jewellery?
It is the fineness stamp for 10 karat gold: 417 parts per thousand, or 41.7% gold by weight. It is the same claim as a 10K or 10KT stamp, written the way most of the world writes purity. Anything under 417 cannot legally be called gold in the United States.
Is 10k gold worth anything?
Yes. Nearly 42% of its weight is gold, so a 10 gram 10k piece carries about 4.2 grams of pure gold. It is worth real money at melt, just under half what the same weight of 14k is worth. What it will not carry is much resale value above melt, because there is little collector or designer demand for low karat gold.
Is 10k or 14k better?
Neither, they answer different questions. 10k is harder, more scratch resistant and cheaper for the same size. 14k holds a warmer colour, resists tarnish better and is worth about 40% more per gram at melt. For a ring worn every day for decades, most jewellers suggest 14k as the balance point.
Does 10k gold tarnish?
The gold in it does not, but the copper and silver that make up the other 58% can. Green or black marks on skin are usually that alloy reacting with sweat, lotion or chlorine, not a sign the piece is fake. It cleans off, and a jeweller can re-polish it.