How Much Is A 14k Gold Chain Worth? Ultimate 2023 Guide

How much is a 14k gold chain worth?

How much is this gold chain necklace that you inherited from your mother worth?

How much is any 14k gold jewelry worth?

If you’re buying a chain for yourself (hey, sometimes it happens), you don’t want to spend too much.

Image by Sherwin Tuibuen via Pexels

If you’re selling a chain, you want a good price!

But it’s complicated. How can you possibly know?

Well, don’t fear, this post will school you on what the pricing is, how it’s calculated, how to win out!

The Karat System

Image by Nevit Dilmen via Wikimedia – Carobe seed

Understanding the karat system is key to understand how much is a 14k gold chain worth.

Back in ancient times, the Greeks had a word Keration, which meant Carob seed.

Carob is a little bean often used as a substitute for chocolate.

It was used as a general unit of measurement, and maybe not for gold at all.

From chocolate seed to Karat

Image by CNG via Wikimedia – Solidus roman coin

Well, in the third century AD, Emperor Constantine I developed a coin for paying soldiers, called the solidus.

In short, this was equal to 24 siliqua coins. One of those equaled 24 Greco-Roman carats.

With the development of the metric system, a karat took on the weight of 200 milligrams.

In 1873, Germany came out with a new currency called the mark. It weighed…you guessed it: 24 karats.

When they went to press the coins, they found they couldn’t use pure gold because it is just too soft.

Adding other metals to gold for sturdiness

Image by Cottonbro via Pexels

Therefore other metals have to be added to it for sturdiness.

Therefore, the karat system tells you how much of a sample of gold is made up of pure gold and how much is made of other metals.

In one word, it tells you the actual gold content.

Thus, 24-karat is as high as it goes—it’s all gold. Real gold. Therefore, 14K gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts metal alloys.

Another way to put it is that it’s 58% gold. Say you have a 25 oz. gold chain, 14.5 of those ounces are pure gold and the rest are gold alloys.

How Much Is A 14k Gold Chain Worth: Buying & Selling at a Fair Price

Image by Sama Hosseini via Unsplash

We just talked about the weight of a piece and about karats. Here’s the reason.

These are the two things you need to determine if the price a jeweler is charging for a 14k gold chain is fair.

When you see a 14k gold chain in a jewelry store, any reputable jeweler will have a scale and can weigh it in front of you.

Once you have the chain’s weight, simply go to a web page that gives the current gold price per weight, which changes all the time.

Whether your 14k gold chain is made of rose gold, yellow gold or even white gold, doesn’t make any significant difference.

Calculate the weight of your chain

Image by RODNAE Productions via Pexels

Goldpricez is one source, but a quick google search will give you a nice selection.

If what you’re seeing is grams, use a google converter to go from ounces to grams.

Multiply the price per gram by the weight of the chain.

Let’s say you have a simple 20 inches long, 14k gold chain. On average this kind of chain weight 12 grams.

If we assume that the price for one gram of 14k gold is US$30, then your 14k gold chain is worth $360. Give or take.

Now, the chain the jeweler is selling should be more expensive than that.

Remember That you are also paying for the chain design

Image by Nati Melnychuk via Unsplash

First off, you’re paying for the design and the work that went into it.

Some designs may be more popular than others, so they’ll sell for a bit more.

But, you’re also dealing with a business. They have to turn a profit, while paying employees, etc.

Related links:
15 Affordable Watch Brands And Their Best Watches
100 Years Of Fashion: Sunglasses - Glam

A good standard is 40%. The jeweler probably shouldn’t be selling the chain at more than 40% above the market price.

If they are, you’ll be able to find a better price elsewhere.

Selling a 14k Gold Chain at a Good Price

When you want to sell a gold chain, you want to how much is your 14k gold chain worth.

This is assuming that you know for sure that your chain is made of 14k gold.

That is it is not made of gold vermeil, or worst made of some cheap gold plated costume jewelry…

So you essentially go through similar calculations as above. If you don’t have a scale at home, still try to get one.

You’ll need to know the weight. From there, you multiply the weight by the current price.

Image by Dusan Jovic via Unsplash

Note that there are calculators that will do this for you right away.

That gives you the gold value of your 14k gold chain or necklace, if you’d like to sell it to a dealer.

You can expect about 80% of the market value, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

Not only does the business need to make a profit, but the price they ask changes based on the current market price of gold.

Since that goes up and down, they don’t want to take too many chances.

How Much Is A 14k Gold Chain Worth: Pro Tips for Getting The Best Price for 14k Gold Chains

Pro Tip #1: get price quotes around town.

Image by Britchi Mirela via Wikimedia

One thing to keep in mind, though, is to get price quotes around town. The price that shops give you can be negotiated, so be sure to put on the charm.

When you ask questions and get the person talking, you’ll get a sense of her or his attitude (or lack thereof).

Sometimes people who are gruff and who don’t really want to answer questions can sometimes be up to no good.

How Much Is A 14k Gold Chain Worth Pro Tip #2: Keep an eye of the current prices of gold

Now, as a pro tip, which you may have figured out already, it’s really a good idea to watch the current prices of gold.

You and the shop you try to sell your gold to should be on the same page. So that when you try to sell on a day when the gold market is high, you’ll get a better price.

14K gold is a very valuable commodity. There’s the question of how one calculates the price, which we’ve been considering all along.

Yet it’s also important to ask another question. That question is how might 14K gold for your fashions compare to other sorts of gold?

Products are worth a certain price only as compared to similar products.

Pro Tip #3: 14K is the actual deal!

Image by Karsten Winegeart via Unsplash

A lot of people just naturally think that the higher the karatage on a ring or a chain, the better.

However, this is where price comes into play. For example, let’s compare 14K gold with 18k gold, which is the next highest grade.

14K gold, as we know, is 58% gold, while 18K is 75%. Now, clearly 14K is less expensive, as you might guess.

It’s probably not quite as vivid, though, in the eyes of experts.

However, unless someone is getting weird on you and closely inspecting your chain, and unless they are gold dealers, they won’t be able to tell that a 14K chain is not an 18K chain.

Here’s the kicker. 14K actually resists tarnishing better.

So if you’re paying less for something that looks the same and tarnishes less, aren’t you getting a good deal?

That shows the value of 14K.

How Much Is A 14k Gold Chain Worth: Words of wisdom

Image by Ron Lach via Pexels

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the higher the karat the better.

You now have a guide to gold pricing for 14K gold chains and to getting a sense of how to get the best price.

Go with it, shop around, and get an amazing price on an amazing fashion accessory.

Also, tell the buyer or seller all about ancient Greece and the karat system and they won’t mess with you.

Tags: how much is a 14k gold chain worth, scrap gold, gold alloy, gold karat

Hello. Going to downtown LA to buy a 14k gold necklace. I want something pretty heavy and long. How much should I be paying? Gold price is currently 62.71 per gram. So if its 14k do i do 14/24 times the gram? What is premium vs spot price?