How to Read Gold Hallmarks and Verify the Karat Before Buying
The hallmark is a gold piece's identity card: small engraved numbers that certify its karat. One minute of checking before you pay protects you from the most common fraud in the gold market — selling a piece below its advertised karat, or with no stamp at all. This article covers what the numbers mean, your legal rights in Saudi Arabia, and which tests are real versus myth.
What Do the Hallmark Numbers Mean?
Pieces are stamped with purity per mille: 999 means 24K (pure gold), 916 means 22K, 875 means 21K, and 750 means 18K. The rule is simple: purity = karat ÷ 24, so 21K means 21 ÷ 24 = 87.5% pure gold.
Next to the purity number you may find the karat itself (21 or 18) and the maker's or origin mark. Look in the usual places: the chain clasp, the inside of a ring, the back of a pendant. If a piece has no hallmark at all, do not buy it no matter how tempting the offer.
Saudi Hallmarking Rules and Penalties
Saudi Arabia's precious metals and gemstones law requires every gold article offered for sale to be hallmarked with its true karat, and the Ministry of Commerce runs regular inspection campaigns on gold shops, pulling samples for laboratory testing.
Selling unstamped gold, or gold below its stamped karat, is commercial fraud punishable by fines, seizure of stock, shop closure and public naming of the violator. This system works in your favour as a buyer: a hallmark is not a courtesy from the shop but a legal obligation.
Weighing and the Invoice: Your Right Before Paying
Ask for the piece to be weighed in front of you on a calibrated scale — scales in licensed shops undergo periodic calibration — and compare the reading on the display with what is written on the invoice, down to fractions of a gram.
A proper invoice itemises the weight, karat, gram price, making charge and VAT separately. An invoice that just says "gold piece — total amount" is a red flag. Keep the invoice: it proves karat, weight and origin, makes resale easier and raises the price you will get.
Magnet and Acid Tests: Fact vs Myth
The magnet test is the most popular home test and the most misleading. Gold is indeed not attracted to a magnet, but non-attraction proves nothing: copper, silver, lead and gold-plated tungsten are not attracted either. A magnet only catches cheap fakes containing iron or nickel — it rules out the worst counterfeits and says nothing about the cleverest.
The acid test (scratching the piece on a touchstone and applying karat-strength acid) is reasonably accurate but scratches the piece and requires expertise and safe handling of corrosive chemicals, so we do not recommend it for ordinary buyers. Reliable verification uses XRF spectrometry devices that read the metal composition without any damage — available at larger shops and assay laboratories.
The Golden Rule: Licensed Shop, Hallmark, Invoice
Always buy from a licensed shop in an established gold souq and check the protection trio: a clear hallmark on the piece, weighing in front of you on a calibrated scale, and a detailed electronic invoice. With all three in place, the chance of fraud is close to zero and you secure the best resale price.
If you discover after buying that the karat is below the hallmark or the invoice, document the case and report it to the Ministry of Commerce via the commercial-violation reporting app — the law protects you as long as you hold the invoice.
Gold Price FAQ
What does an 875 hallmark on gold mean?
It means the piece is 875 per mille pure — 87.5% pure gold — which is 21K. Likewise 999 means 24K, 916 means 22K, and 750 means 18K.
Does a magnet detect fake gold?
Only partially. A magnet catches fakes containing iron or nickel, but many counterfeits use non-magnetic metals such as copper or plated tungsten. A piece not sticking to a magnet proves nothing; reliable verification is the hallmark, the invoice and XRF spectrometry testing.
What should I do if I bought unstamped or under-karat gold?
Document the case, keep the invoice and report it to the Ministry of Commerce via the commercial-violation reporting app. Selling unstamped gold or gold below its advertised karat is commercial fraud punishable under Saudi law.