GUIDES
Investment gold bars vs jewelry prices
Last updated
Searches for a gold-bar price often line up a dealer’s bar board, a jewelry board and this site’s theoretical gold price. Those three numbers do different jobs. A bar is usually high-purity bullion with the dealer’s own spread. Jewelry adds design and making charges. Our figure is a COMEX reference times Bank of Taiwan USD spot-sell, with no dealer product spread. This page explains the comparison only — it does not supply or invent bar or jewelry trade prices.
Bars, jewelry and theory each answer one question
An investment bar is usually stamped at a high purity such as 999.9 and quoted per gram, Taiwan qian or tael. The dealer’s selling price is what you pay; the buying price is what they pay you. The gap is that dealer’s spread, and it may also reflect brand, packaging and a minimum size. This site does not list those terms or republish any bar board.
Jewelry is gold made into rings, chains and similar pieces. The selling price often includes making, design and brand. Purity may be 999.9, or 916, 750, or a karat mark. Estimated sell on our jewelry page is theoretical buy plus about 4% as a jewelry-premium check. It is not a bar offer and not a shop’s ornament board.
The theoretical price uses a public international reference and Bank of Taiwan USD FX, not a shop’s inventory cost. A Bank of Taiwan gold passbook is a separate gram-denominated account with the bank’s own bid and offer — not the physical bar in your hand. See the passbook guide for that comparison. A listed gold ETF is a fund share, neither the bar nor the passbook board. We do not invent its NAV.
A tighter spread is still not the theoretical price
Bar making charges are usually lower than for shaped jewelry, so the same shop’s bar spread is often narrower than its jewelry spread. How much narrower depends on the shop, the brand and that day’s terms. This site does not publish a spread band, and it does not treat “closer to the international price” as a price you can trade at the theoretical index.
Even near-fine bars sell above the dealer’s bid, and above a theoretical index that excludes product spread. Bar boards and theory can diverge when FX or the dealer’s spread moves and international gold does not. When the market is closed or a source is late, this site keeps the last valid print and labels it. We do not fill gaps to match a bar board.
Keep units, purity and recycle direction apart
Match units before comparing amounts. This site uses 1 qian = 3.75 g and 1 tael = 10 qian. Bars are often quoted per gram or tael; jewelry per qian. See the units guide. If the purity marks differ, read the karat guide first — do not treat 750 or 18K as a 999.9 bar.
Recycling runs the other way. The recycling page multiplies theoretical buy by a purity ratio to estimate fine-gold content. The 999.9 column is closer to a pure bar’s metal content, but it still excludes assay, loss, brand and fees, so it is not a bar bid. Jewelry may also lose making residue, stones and solder. Do not apply a bar estimate to a ring, and do not flip a jewelry selling price into a bar bid.
HOW TO
Compare an investment bar with jewelry
Line up a dealer’s bar notice with this site’s theoretical reference without mixing trade direction, weight units or purity. No board prices in the steps.
- Separate buy from sellBuying a bar or jewelry from a shop uses their selling price. Selling it back uses their bid. Do not invert one into the other, and do not treat estimated sell (theoretical buy plus about 4%) as a bar bid.
- Match units and purityConvert grams, qian and tael first (1 qian = 3.75 g). Check whether the piece is a 999.9 bar or 916, 750, or karat jewelry. Do not compare amounts until units and purity match.
- Copy boards from the shop, theory from this siteTake bar or jewelry boards only from the shop’s same-day notice. Read theory only on today’s gold or the jewelry page, and check that the page shows a last-valid print rather than a filled-in number.
- Use the recycling page for a saleTo estimate a sale, open gold recycling and apply the purity ratio as a fine-gold reference. The estimate is not a bar or jewelry bid. Weight and assay at the shop still govern.
Related quote pages
This page does not supply or invent investment-bar or jewelry trade prices. Theoretical figures are for comparison and exclude dealer spread, making, tax and fees. Not investment advice. No Product/Offer.
Gold bar vs jewelry FAQ
Does this site publish investment gold-bar prices?
No. We publish a theoretical index from a COMEX reference times Bank of Taiwan USD spot-sell. We do not republish or invent a shop or brand bar bid or offer. Use the dealer’s own notice for those figures.
Can I compare one qian of bar gold with one qian of jewelry?
Only after units match, and you still have to separate buy from sell and whether making charges are included. Jewelry asks often include design and brand. Bar spreads are often tighter, but the gap is not a fixed formula. The about-4% estimated sell is a jewelry-premium check, not a bar board.
Can I use the 999.9 recycling estimate for a bar?
Use it as a starting fine-gold reference only if the bar is actually near 999.9. The estimate excludes assay, loss and fees and is not a dealer bid. Do not apply that column to jewelry, karat pieces or stones.
Is a gold bar the same as a Bank of Taiwan gold passbook?
No. A bar is physical bullion you hold, priced by a dealer. A gold passbook is a bank account product with the bank’s own board, usually per gram. Neither is this site’s theoretical qian.