Guide
What does 916 mean on gold?
A 916 stamp means the gold is 91.6% pure: 916 parts gold per 1,000. It's the same as 22K.
Updated October 28, 2026 · Prices as of November 2, 2026, 6:20 p.m. Pacific
What 916 gold is worth today
Gold is trading at $3,942 per troy ounce (the Kitco bid). We pay $109.26/g for 916 (22K) gold, which is 94% of the value of the pure gold it contains.
Scrap prices are per gram of metal after melting, not per gram of what you send. Stones are removed, and dirt, glue, springs, and anything else that isn't gold or silver burn off or separate out, so the weight paid is usually less than your scale shows.
What the number means
European and international jewelry marks purity in parts per thousand instead of karats. 916 means 916 of every 1,000 parts are pure gold, so a 10-gram 916 piece holds 9.16 grams of pure gold. 22K is 22 parts out of 24, or 91.67%. It's the purity of many gold coins, too, like the Krugerrand and the American Gold Eagle.
Where you'll see 916
On 22K jewelry from India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, where high-karat gold is traditional. Indian pieces are often marked 916 with a hallmark. The number is usually stamped on the clasp, inside a ring band, or on a small tag near the clasp, sometimes with a country name or maker's mark. See how to read gold stamps for the other marks, including the ones that mean plated or filled.
Gold stamps: 417 · 585 · 750 · 916 · 925 · 10K vs 14K · 14K vs 18K · All gold stamps
Gold guides: Gold price per pennyweight · Gold chains · Gold earrings · Gold rings · Gold bracelets · White gold · Gold stamps · Scrap gold per gram
We pay top dollar for gold, at published rates set before you sell.
Your gold
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