Gold is often measured in karats, which indicate the proportion of gold present in an alloy. For instance, 24-karat gold is considered pure gold, meaning it contains 99.9% gold content. On the other hand, 18-karat gold consists of 75% gold and 25% other metals, which can affect its color and durability.
Silver is usually measured in parts per thousand. The most common form of silver used in jewelry and other items is sterling silver, which contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, typically copper.
GOLD
Gold starts at pure 24kt (karat) or 99.9% (also seen as .999)
Then 22kt - .917
21kt - .875
20kt - .833
18kt - .750
14kt - .585 (also referred to as half-pure)
10kt - .417
9kt - .375
8kt - .333
Gold Filled and Gold Plated contain minimal gold, making karat measurement impractical.
SILVER
Silver calculations start as Pure, or 99.9% (also seen as .999)
Then we have Sterling Silver or 92.5% pure (aka .925)
Then traditional old coins from before 1964 are .900 (or 90%)
Note: Bravo will normally calculate anything to the closest 100th decimal (.00)
Measuring Weight
In Bravo we have two different forms of measurement weight, Pennyweights (dwt) and Grams (g).
- A Pennyweight is a unit of measure that is equal to 24 grains or 1/20 of a troy ounce. (Gold is measured by the troy ounce. There are 20 pennyweights per troy ounce.)
- In every Pennyweight there is approximately 0.05 ounces (oz) (1/20 of an ounce)
- When calculating with grams, every ounce contains 31.1 grams. (Troy ounce)
To find a basic Gold or Silver value here are the calculations:
PENNYWEIGHTS (DWT)
[Price of gold or silver/oz @ market] * [.05 (for price per dwt)] = [How much that item will be worth at .999 value]
Example:
$1,250.00/oz * .05 = $62.50/dwt
Gold is $1,250 per ounce @ market.
Multiply that value by .05 (or 1/20)
Total is $62.50 per pennyweight for 24K gold or .999 purity.
To get the value for different purities you then take the value per dwt and multiply by the purity value (per chart above):
[How much that item is worth at .999 value] * [Value of the purity you are trying to calculate] = [desired price/dwt]
Example:
$1,250.00/oz * .05 = $62.50/dwt
$62.50/dwt * 0.750 = $46.86/dwt
Gold is $1,250 per ounce @ market.
Multiply that value by .05 (or 1/20)
Total is $62.50 per pennyweight at 24k
18k gold = 0.750
Multiply $62.50 (24k value per dwt) by 0.750 (18k)
Total value per dwt for 18k = $46.86
If you are trying to find a specific percentage of the desired karat for Pawns or Buys here is that calculation:
[desired purity price/dwt] * [percentage given for pawn] = [pawn amount offered/dwt]
Example:
$46.86 * 74% (or 0.74) = $35.60
GRAMS:
[Price of gold or silver/oz @ market] / [31.1 (for grams per oz)] = [How much that item will be worth at .999 value]
Example:
[$1,250/oz] / [31.1g] = [$40.20]
Then if you need to calculate from here to a different karat value use this:
[How much that item is worth at .999 value] * [whatever karat you are trying to see] = [desired karat price amount]
Example:
[$40.20] * [.925] = [$37.18]
If you are trying to find a specific percentage of the desired karat for pawns or buys here is that calculation:
[desired karat price amount] * [percentage] = [desired amount for percentage asked]
EX: [$37.18] * [74% (or on a calculator as .74)] = [$27.51]
Last Updated: 2/12/2025