If you have a piece of gold, a coin or an inherited piece of jewellery and want to know what it is really worth, the answer depends on two things. How much the gold weighs, and what gold costs on the day you ask. 24 carat gold is the purest form you can get, and therefore the easiest to put a price on, because almost the entire weight is pure gold. This article explains what 24 carat gold is, how to calculate the value from the weight, and why jewellery is rarely made in this particular gold.

The value of 24 carat gold follows the daily price per gram

One gram of 24 carat gold is traded by Danish gold dealers at around 835 kroner per gram in the autumn of 2026. The price is updated several times a day, because gold is traded on the world market and fluctuates with supply, demand and exchange rates. The price a gold dealer gives you for your gold is typically slightly below the day's official spot price, because the dealer needs a margin.

The gold price is also often quoted per troy ounce, a unit of weight of about 31.1 grams, used internationally for precious metals. To find the value of a specific piece of 24 carat gold, you multiply its weight in grams by the daily price per gram. A piece of jewellery with five grams of pure gold is therefore worth around 4,175 kroner at a gram price of 835 kroner, before the dealer's margin is deducted.

24 carat gold is 999 ‰, that is to say almost pure gold

Carat indicates how large a share of a piece of gold is pure gold, and the number goes from 0 to 24. 24 carat is the highest level of purity, and it is stamped 999, because 999 out of 1,000 parts are pure gold. In percentage terms, that corresponds to 99.9% pure gold.

Because almost the entire weight is gold, the value of 24 carat gold reflects the spot price of pure gold almost directly. The lower the carat, the more of the weight is other metals, and the less the gold is worth per gram. You can read more about what 14 carat gold means if you want to understand how the lower carat numbers are calculated.

How to calculate the value of your gold yourself

You need nothing more than a scale and the day's gold price to get a realistic estimate. The method is the same, whether you have a coin, a bar or a piece of jewellery.

1. Weigh the gold in grams on a precise scale, preferably a kitchen scale that shows decimals.
2. Find the day's gold price per gram for 24 carat at a gold dealer.
3. Multiply the weight by the gram price to get the pure gold value.
4. Deduct a margin if you want a realistic estimate of what a dealer would pay.

If you have a piece of jewellery in a lower carat, you first need to work out how large a share is pure gold before the calculation holds true. A piece of jewellery in 14 carat contains 585 ‰ pure gold, that is to say 58.5% of the weight, and the rest is other metals that do not count towards the gold value.

This is why jewellery is made in 14 carat and not in 24 carat gold

Pure gold is a very soft metal. A piece of jewellery in 24 carat would scratch, dent and wear out quickly with daily use, because there are no other metals to give it strength. That is why gold is mixed with small amounts of other metals into an alloy that is far more durable to wear.

Longvé uses 14K gold and 14K white gold for its jewellery, precisely because this alloy withstands everyday use while still retaining a clear gold colour. This applies to both rings and necklaces, which need to be worn day after day without being damaged. If you want to read more about how the different alloys differ, you can see what the difference is between 8 and 14 carat gold.

What is 24 carat gold worth compared to lower carats?

The difference in value between the carats follows directly from the share of pure gold. The more other metals in the alloy, the lower the gram price. The table shows the purity of the most common carats, so you can see how large a share of the weight is actually gold.

A piece of 24 carat gold is therefore worth almost twice as much per gram as 14 carat, because it contains almost twice as much pure gold. This does not mean that 24 carat is the best choice for jewellery, because here durability matters more than the pure gold content. For a piece of jewellery you want to wear every day, a stronger alloy such as 14 carat is more practical, while 24 carat is typically found in bars and coins, where the gold is not exposed to wear.