How Much Is 9ct Gold Worth Per Gram? Real UK Prices, Explained

If you've got a drawer with a broken chain, an old bracelet or a ring you never wear, the first question is always the same. What's it actually worth?

The short answer, at the time of writing in July 2026: pure gold is trading at £3,110 per troy ounce, which works out at just over £100 per gram. That puts the metal value of 9ct gold at about £37.50 per gram. Here's how those numbers work, and how to get a real figure for your own pieces.

Why 9ct gold is priced differently to "the gold price"

The gold price you see in the news is for pure gold, known as 24 carat. Almost no jewellery is made from it, because pure gold is too soft to survive daily wear. Instead it's mixed with stronger metals like copper and silver, and the carat simply tells you how much actual gold is in the mix.

On today's price of roughly £100 per gram of pure gold, the metal value per gram works out as:

• 9ct (37.5% pure): about £37.50 per gram
• 14ct (58.5% pure): about £58.50 per gram
• 18ct (75% pure): about £75.00 per gram
• 22ct (91.6% pure): about £91.60 per gram
• 24ct (pure gold): about £100.00 per gram

So a gram of 9ct jewellery contains just over a third of a gram of actual gold. That's the whole mystery of carats in one sentence.

How to check the carat yourself

Almost all UK gold jewellery carries a hallmark, usually on the clasp of a chain, the inside of a ring band, or the back of a pendant. You may need decent light and your phone camera zoomed in. The number you find is the purity:

• 375 means 9ct
• 585 means 14ct
• 750 means 18ct
• 916 means 22ct

Older pieces sometimes show a crown symbol with "9" and "375" together, which is the traditional British 9ct mark. If there's no hallmark at all, don't worry. Testing is part of any proper valuation, and we do it at no cost.

Weighing your gold at home

Ordinary kitchen scales are fine for a guide figure, as long as they measure in grams rather than ounces. Weigh each carat separately, because a 9ct chain and an 18ct ring on the scales together will give you a number that means nothing.

If you'd rather not dig the scales out, these typical weights help you estimate:

• A fine 9ct chain: usually 2 to 5 grams
• A heavier curb or rope chain: anywhere from 15 to 50 grams
• A plain wedding band: 3 to 6 grams
• A signet ring: 8 to 15 grams
• A solid bangle: 10 to 30 grams

One caveat: stones don't count towards the gold weight, so a ring with a large setting holds less metal than the scales suggest. That's one of the things a proper valuation sorts out precisely.

A quick example

Say you have a 9ct gold bracelet weighing 12 grams. On today's price, that's about £450 of gold by weight. Five minutes with kitchen scales gives you a useful guide before you've spoken to anyone.

Keep in mind that metal value is a market reference, not a price anyone pays at the counter. What your bracelet actually fetches depends on the piece, confirmed weight and purity, which is exactly what a valuation settles.

Why the price changes every day

Gold is traded around the clock on global markets, and the per-gram price in pounds moves with it. Two things drive most of the movement: the world gold price itself, and the exchange rate between the pound and the dollar, because gold is priced in dollars internationally. Day to day the changes are usually small, but over months they add up, which is why a valuation from two years ago tells you very little about what your gold is worth now.

Through 2026 the price has been trading near historic highs, so per-gram values are some of the strongest sellers have ever seen.

Getting a real figure for your items

For an instant idea of what your items could fetch, try our gold calculator. Enter the carat and weight and it gives you a guide figure in seconds, no details required.

For a firm offer, choose whichever route suits you: bring your items to a private appointment at our office in Ascot, send photographs through the valuation form for a written estimate within one working day, or use insured post for smaller pieces.

What happens at a valuation

If you've never sold gold before, here's the whole process. You bring your items to a private appointment, one client at a time, no counter and no queue. Your specialist checks the hallmarks, tests anything unmarked, weighs everything in front of you and explains the figure. It typically takes fifteen to twenty minutes for a small collection.

There's no fee, no pressure and no obligation to sell. If the figure isn't right for you, you take your gold home and that's the end of it. If you'd like to go ahead, you'll need photo ID, and payment is made the same day by bank transfer.

Quick answers

Is now a good time to sell gold? Gold has been trading near historic highs through 2026. Nobody can tell you where it goes next, but sellers today are getting some of the strongest per-gram prices on record.

Do I need ID to sell gold in the UK? Yes. UK regulations require every buyer to verify identity, so bring photo ID to any appointment. It takes two minutes.

Will you buy broken jewellery? Yes. For metal value the condition is irrelevant. A snapped chain weighs the same as an intact one.

Is gold-plated jewellery worth anything? Honestly, very little. Plating is a microscopically thin layer over base metal, so there isn't enough gold to recover. Marks like "rolled gold", "9ct GF" (gold filled) or "gold plated" are the giveaways.

What if I don't know the carat? Check for a hallmark first (375, 585, 750, 916). If there isn't one, we test it during the valuation at no cost.

Prices in this article were correct at the time of writing and move with the live gold market. For a guide figure on your own items, try the gold calculator or just ask us.