Quick answerAt today's price of $3,876.40 per troy ounce1, pure 14K gold is worth about $72.70 per gram. A 5-gram 14K ring has a melt value of about $363. A buyer paying 80% of melt would offer around $291.
The formula
Melt value = grams × 0.5833 × (spot price ÷ 31.1035)
14K means 14 of 24 parts are gold, or 58.33%. You'll often see it stamped 14K, 14KT or 5852. Spot prices are quoted per troy ounce, which is 31.1035 grams, not the 28.35-gram kitchen ounce. That mix-up is the most common math mistake.
14K ring values at today's price
These numbers update with the live price. Use your own ring's weight in the calculator for an exact figure.
| Ring weight | 10K melt | 14K melt | 18K melt | 14K at 80% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 g (1.3 dwt) | $104 | $145 | $187 | $116 |
| 3 g (1.9 dwt) | $156 | $218 | $280 | $174 |
| 4 g (2.6 dwt) | $208 | $291 | $374 | $233 |
| 5 g (3.2 dwt) | $260 | $363 | $467 | $291 |
| 6 g (3.9 dwt) | $312 | $436 | $561 | $349 |
| 8 g (5.1 dwt) | $415 | $582 | $748 | $465 |
| 10 g (6.4 dwt) | $519 | $727 | $935 | $582 |
How to weigh a ring
- Use a digital scale that reads to 0.01 g. A kitchen scale that reads to 1 g can be off by a large percentage on a small ring.
- Weigh rings with stones knowing the stones will be deducted. A buyer pays for the gold, not the total weight.
- If you only have pennyweight (dwt), 1 dwt = 1.555 g. The calculator converts it for you.
Check the stamp first
Look inside the band for 14K, 585, or another mark. In the US, gold below 10 karat can't be marketed as "gold"3. Marks like GF (gold filled), GP (gold plated), HGE and RGP mean the ring is mostly base metal with a thin gold layer, and it's worth very little as scrap. See how to tell if gold is real.
What buyers actually pay
No buyer pays 100% of melt. Express Gold Cash's terms cap jewelry at 90% of refined value4, and MailGoldOnline says it pays up to 90% on larger lots5. Smaller lots and lower-karat items usually get a lower percentage. Kitco also notes melt loss of up to about 1% for clean metal, and more for items with stones6. Compare published payouts and enter any offer into the calculator to see its percentage of melt.
Common questions
How much is 1 gram of 14K gold worth?
1 gram of 14K gold contains 0.583 g of pure gold. Multiply that by today's gold price per gram, which is spot ÷ 31.1035. Our live calculator does the math and shows it.
Is 14K the same as 585?
585 means 58.5% gold, the European stamp for 14K. Mathematically, 14 out of 24 parts is 58.33%. Buyers generally treat both as 14K.
Why would a buyer offer less than melt for my 14K ring?
Buyers keep a margin for refining and overhead, deduct the weight of stones and other non-gold parts, and pay based on the karat they test, not just the stamp.
- gold-api.com live spot price
- MailGoldOnline: What we buy (karat table, stones, lab-grown)
- FTC Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries, 16 CFR Part 23 (eCFR)
- Express Gold Cash: Terms (72-hour decline, 90% caps)
- MailGoldOnline: homepage ($1,000 default coverage)
- Kitco: How to sell scrap metal (testing, melt loss)