Editorial Standards and Pricing Methodology
This page sets out where our prices come from, how they are calculated, how often they update, and the standards our written content is held to. We publish it because a price without a stated methodology is just a number.
Price Sources
Our rates begin with the international spot price of gold, quoted in US dollars per troy ounce, obtained from a market data provider. That figure is the same reference used by bullion markets worldwide.
How We Calculate Saudi Rates
The conversion is two steps and we publish it in full so any reader can verify our figures.
- Divide the spot price per troy ounce by 31.1035 to obtain the price per gram of pure gold in US dollars.
- Multiply by 3.7500, the fixed Saudi Riyal peg to the US dollar, to obtain the price per gram of 24K gold in riyals.
Other karats are derived by applying the purity factor: 0.999 for 24K, 0.916 for 22K, 0.875 for 21K and 0.750 for 18K.
Unit conversions use exact factors: 1 tola = 11.6638 grams, 1 troy ounce = 31.1035 grams, 1 sovereign = 7.9881 grams.
Update Frequency
Prices refresh automatically several times a day. Every page displays the timestamp of the most recent update, and that same timestamp feeds our structured data, so what a search engine reads matches what a reader sees. If those two ever disagree, treat it as a bug and tell us.
What Our Prices Are and Are Not
The rates we publish represent the value of the metal alone. They are indicative reference prices, not offers to buy or sell.
Actual shop prices differ because they add a making charge, which varies by shop and by piece, and 15 percent VAT on jewellery. Buy-back prices sit below metal value because shops apply a handling margin. Where we publish buy and sell figures, they are indicative ranges based on prevailing market practice, not quotes from any particular shop.
Content Standards
Every page is written specifically for this site. We do not republish content from elsewhere, and we do not publish sponsored articles disguised as editorial.
Where a figure is a range rather than a fixed rule, such as making charge percentages, we say so. Where a matter is genuinely disputed, such as the treatment of worn jewellery for zakat, we present the positions rather than pretending there is a single answer. Where rules change over time, such as customs allowances and VAT refund arrangements, we direct readers to the relevant authority rather than stating a figure that may have expired.
Who Writes This Site
Content is produced by our editorial team and reviewed before publication for factual accuracy, internal consistency with our published methodology, and clarity. Price data is generated automatically from the pipeline described above rather than typed by hand, which removes an entire class of transcription error.
Where a page carries figures that change, such as rates and zakat nisab values, those figures are pulled live rather than written into the text. That is deliberate: a hard-coded number is a future error waiting to happen.
Sourcing and Verification
Factual claims about tax, customs and regulation are drawn from the positions published by the competent authorities. Because those rules are revised periodically, we describe them in general terms and direct readers to the authority for the current position rather than quoting a figure that may lapse.
Claims about market practice, such as typical making charge ranges and buy-back discounts, are presented as ranges reflecting prevailing practice, not as fixed rules. Saudi Arabia does not regulate making charges, so any site presenting a single official figure is presenting something that does not exist.
What We Will Not Publish
- Price predictions presented as fact. We explain the drivers; we do not forecast numbers.
- Fabricated data for markets we do not have a live feed for. Our Egypt pages, for example, explain how the Egyptian market prices gold without inventing Egyptian pound figures.
- Sponsored content presented as editorial.
- Religious rulings. We describe scholarly positions and note where they diverge.
Accessibility and Presentation
Tables carry headers and scroll horizontally on small screens rather than forcing the page to scroll. Arabic pages are laid out right-to-left throughout, not merely mirrored. Prices appear as text, never as images, so they can be read by assistive technology and copied.
Review Cycle
Guides are reviewed when the underlying rules change and periodically otherwise. Pages carrying live data are current by construction, since the figures are drawn at page render.
Independence
We do not sell gold and hold no commercial relationship with the shops, souqs or brands mentioned on this site. Where markets or districts are described, that reflects publicly known market structure, not a paid placement.
Corrections Policy
We correct errors promptly. If you find an incorrect figure, an outdated rule or a broken calculation, send it through our contact page and we will review it. Substantive corrections are made to the page itself rather than quietly overwritten.
Not Advice
Nothing on this site is personalised financial, investment, tax or religious advice. Gold prices move and can fall as well as rise. Decisions about buying, selling or holding gold are yours, and for significant sums we encourage consulting a qualified professional. See our disclaimer.