What Does 916 Gold Mean? Purity, Hallmarks & Value

The number 916 is a fineness mark: it means the gold is 916 parts pure gold out of 1,000 — that is, 91.6% pure (more precisely 91.67%). In karat terms, that is 22 karat: 22 parts gold out of 24. The remaining 8.33% is alloy — usually copper, silver or zinc — added to make the gold hard enough for jewellery.

Pure gold (24K) is 999 fineness, or 99.9% pure. It is too soft for most jewellery: a 24K bangle would bend and scratch easily. The alloy in 916 gold is what makes it wearable, and it is also what gives 22K gold its slightly deeper colour compared with 24K.

Gold fineness is stamped as a three-digit number: 999 (24K, 99.9% pure), 916 (22K, 91.67%), 875 (21K, 87.5%), 750 (18K, 75%), 585 (14K, 58.5%) and 375 (9K, 37.5%). The number tells you exactly how much pure gold is in the piece — a 10-gram 916 bangle contains 9.16 grams of pure gold.

Thailand is the exception: Thai gold is stamped 96.5%, meaning 965 fineness — about 23.16 karat — a national standard found almost nowhere else. Wherever you buy, the stamp is the promise: a hallmarked stamp is a legal guarantee of the fineness shown.

916 is the standard karat for jewellery in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Gulf because it is the best compromise between purity and durability. It is pure enough to hold its value as a family asset — more than nine-tenths gold — and hard enough for the intricate bridal and temple designs these markets love.

It is also the karat every jeweller in these markets buys back without question. A 916 bangle can be sold in any city in South Asia or the Gulf at the day's 22K rate. Lower karats resell for less per gram and are less liquid; higher karats (24K) are too soft for jewellery.

For jewellery you will wear, 916 is the right choice in South Asian and Gulf markets — it is the standard, it is liquid, and it holds value. For investment bars and coins, 999 (24K) is better: it is the purest form, it carries the lowest making charges, and it tracks the spot price most directly.

750 (18K) suits European-style and diamond-set jewellery, where the harder alloy holds stones securely — but it contains 25% alloy, so it costs less per gram and resells for less. Buy 18K for the design, not for the gold content.

A genuine 916 stamp is applied by the jeweller or an assay office, and in India it forms part of the BIS hallmark — the BIS mark, the fineness number (916) and the jeweller's identification mark, all stamped on the piece. In the Gulf, the hallmark is applied by the local assay or municipality.

Check the stamp with a magnifying glass before you buy, and make sure the invoice states 22K/916. If the stamp is missing or unclear, ask the jeweller to explain — and if you are unsure, have the piece tested by an independent assayer. A stamp is a promise; a test is proof.