What 8K gold is worth and how dealers price it
8K contains 33.3% gold and is legally 'gold' in Germany and Austria, though not in many other countries. It was common in East and West German jewellery of the 20th century.
Look for the hallmark 333 or 8K. 8K is typical of German and Austrian budget jewellery. Because two-thirds of the weight is alloy, 8K frequently shows discolouration; buyers still pay only for the gold content.
Dealers weigh the piece, deduct stones and non-gold parts, and multiply the net weight by 0.333 to get the fine gold content. They then multiply by the CHF 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 15 g German 333 bracelet holds 5.00 g of fine gold. Enter 15 g and 8K in the calculator above to see its live melt value in CHF. Some shops refuse 333 gold or pay it at silver-like rates; specialist scrap buyers are usually the best outlet.
Switzerland is home to several of the world's largest gold refineries, and Swiss buyers are used to precise assays. Local precious-metal control marks guarantee the fineness of Swiss-made jewellery.