What 14K gold is worth and how dealers price it
14K is 58.5% gold and is the most widespread standard in Northern Europe and the United States. It is hard-wearing, which makes it popular for wedding bands and chains worn every day.
Look for the hallmark 585 or 14K. 14K is typical of German, Dutch, Nordic and US rings and chains. Because 14K is so common, it is also the most often faked; plated brass chains stamped 585 turn up regularly, so reputable buyers always test.
Dealers weigh the piece, deduct stones and non-gold parts, and multiply the net weight by 0.585 to get the fine gold content. They then multiply by the GBP spot price per gram and apply their payout percentage — usually 60–75% of melt at shops and pawnbrokers, 80–90% at specialist buyers.
Worked example: a 14.5 g 14K curb chain holds 8.48 g of fine gold. Enter 14.5 g and 14K in the calculator above to see its live melt value in GBP. Chains and bracelets of 14K often sell by the kilo at refiners, so combining pieces into one larger lot usually earns a higher payout percentage.
In the UK, gold dealers must be registered for anti-money-laundering supervision and check ID. Hallmarks are enforced by the Assay Offices in London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh, which makes British marks among the most reliable.
Developers can pull the same figure programmatically: 14K gold price per gram API.