Use the right scale and unit
| Unit | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 pennyweight (dwt) | 1.55517 |
| 1 troy ounce (ozt) | 31.1035 |
| 1 standard ounce (oz) | 28.3495 |
Five-step workflow
- Place the scale on a firm, level surface and calibrate it if the model supports calibration.
- Set the display to grams and tare any empty tray.
- Separate items by stamped karat or fineness; do not mix 10K, 14K, and 18K weights.
- Remove or estimate stones and clearly non-gold parts, then record each group to 0.01 gram.
- Calculate each group separately and add the melt values only at the end.
Jewelry, coins, and bars are different
Jewelry weight can include stones, solder, clasps, and unknown alloys. Coins and bars have published specifications but can have collector premiums or authenticity risk. Use the exact issue specification instead of testing a collectible destructively.
Common mistakes
Do not confuse a standard ounce with a troy ounce, weigh a container without taring, assume every white metal is gold, or multiply mixed-karat weight by one purity. If you have no scale, ask two independent jewelers to weigh the item in front of you.
Use the recorded weights in the live gold calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Can I weigh gold with a kitchen scale?
A kitchen scale is adequate for a rough first pass if it reads grams, but a calibrated 0.01-gram jewelry scale is better for small items.
Should I weigh gold in ounces or troy ounces?
Precious metals trade in troy ounces of 31.1035 grams, not standard 28.3495-gram ounces. Using grams avoids the most common conversion error.
Do stones count toward gold melt value?
No. Stones and non-gold parts add weight but not contained gold, so remove or estimate them before calculating melt value.