Gold Rate in Aizawl Today

Gold purity is measured in karats, with 24 karat representing essentially pure gold. 24K (99.9% pure) is too soft for jewellery and is used for coins and bars. 22K (91.6% pure) is the standard for traditional Indian jewellery, strong enough to hold its shape while keeping high gold content. 18K (75%) and 14K (58.5%) are harder alloys used for diamond and daily-wear jewellery, since prong settings must grip stones through daily handling.

What Does 916 Mean?

916 is 91.6% purity written in the millesimal fineness system, where 916 of 1000 parts are pure gold. It is the same thing as 22 karat. The same convention gives 999 for 24K, 750 for 18K and 585 for 14K.

Alloy Colour

The alloying metal determines colour: copper-heavy alloys give rose gold, silver or palladium with rhodium plating gives white gold, and balanced alloys keep the traditional yellow. All three can be the same karat and the same price per gram; colour is not an indicator of purity.

KDM Gold

KDM refers to cadmium-soldered gold. Cadmium is toxic and BIS no longer certifies KDM jewellery; current practice uses hallmarked gold with cadmium-free solder. Treat new stock described as KDM as a reason to walk away. Inherited KDM pieces can be sold or exchanged normally; have them assayed first, since old KDM purity claims were often optimistic.

Units Used in the Indian Market

Gold is quoted per gram and per 10 grams. The tola, historically 11.664 grams, is standardised at 10 grams in modern trade. The troy ounce, at 31.1035 grams, is the international unit and is not the same as the ordinary 28.35 gram ounce.

A hallmarked piece carries three marks: the BIS logo, the purity grade in three-digit form (916, 750 or 585), and a six-character alphanumeric HUID that identifies the individual item. The mark is applied at a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre after the metal is assayed, independent of the jeweller, which is the basis of the system's credibility.

How to Verify in Under a Minute

1. Locate the three marks, usually on the inner band of a ring, the clasp of a chain, or the reverse of a pendant.
2. Open the BIS Care app, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
3. Enter the HUID and confirm the registered jeweller, assaying centre, purity and item type match the piece and the invoice.
4. If the app returns nothing, or details that do not match, do not complete the purchase.

Hallmarking with HUID is mandatory for gold jewellery sold in India, with limited exemptions for very small items. New retail stock without a HUID is a reason to walk away regardless of the explanation. For a piece you already own, BIS-recognised centres perform XRF testing for a nominal fee: a non-destructive purity reading in minutes, and the sensible first step before selling inherited gold.

The case for gold rests on four properties. It is not anyone's liability: a bond depends on an issuer and a deposit on a bank, while gold held physically depends on nobody. It behaves differently from equities, with correlation that is low and often turns negative in market stress, exactly when diversification matters. It has preserved purchasing power across very long horizons. And it is liquid globally, saleable in essentially any country.

The counterarguments, stated fairly: gold pays no dividend, interest or rent, so its return comes entirely from price appreciation. It has underperformed equities over most long measurement periods and can trade flat or fall for a decade at a stretch. Physical holdings carry storage cost and theft risk, and jewellery carries a large making charge premium that is never recovered.

The sensible frame is gold as a portfolio stabiliser rather than a growth engine, with most allocation frameworks suggesting a modest 5% to 15%. Whether it fits depends on your time horizon and what else you hold. This page is intended to inform that decision, not make it for you.

The rate quoted at any Indian jewellery counter is the end of a chain that begins on international markets several hours earlier. Gold trades continuously in US dollars per troy ounce, anchored by the London Bullion Market Association price and COMEX futures; nothing in the Indian market is set independently of that global price. Because India imports almost all of its gold, the dollar price is converted to rupees at the prevailing exchange rate, so a weakening rupee raises the local price even when global gold is flat.

On top of that, customs duty and the Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess are applied to the landed value. These are policy variables that change in steps, and a duty revision in the Union Budget produces an immediate, visible jump or drop in the retail rate. The India Bullion and Jewellers Association then publishes benchmark rates twice each working day, which most jewellers quote against, keeping the published figure broadly consistent within a city. Finally, individual dealers add a local premium reflecting supply, storage and financing costs and immediate demand; this widens in festival and wedding weeks and compresses in quiet months. MCX futures are a useful reference but one input among several, and the billed price of jewellery adds making charges and GST on top of the quoted rate.

Gold buying across India peaks around Dhanteras and Diwali, when purchasing gold is considered auspicious, and again around Akshaya Tritiya in April or May, the single highest-volume gold buying day of the year. Regional festivals add further peaks that vary by state, and the wedding season, broadly November to February with a second window in April and May, drives sustained bridal demand.

Prices are set by global markets rather than festivals, but heavy demand on these days can add a small retail premium and tighten stock on popular designs. If a purchase is occasion-driven, the date is fixed and rate timing is secondary. If it is not, the monsoon months of June to August offer the quietest showrooms, the best availability of artisan time for custom work, and the narrowest dealer premiums.