Gold Academy · Section A
Purity determines what a holding is actually worth, not what it weighs. Two bars of the same stamped weight can differ by several percent in realisable value once purity, assay allowance and refining costs are applied.
99.99% pure gold
The institutional investment standard. Good Delivery bars and sovereign-mint cast bars trade closest to spot, carry the tightest buy/sell spread, and are the only grade we accept into allocated custody without a purity discount.
99.0%–99.9% pure gold
Commonly described as pure. Financially it sits marginally below four-nines material: refiners and dealers apply a small assay allowance, so realisable value per gram is slightly lower even when the stamped weight is identical.
91.6% pure gold
Jewellery and regional bar standard, alloyed for hardness. Only 91.6% of the gross weight is gold, so a 100 g piece holds 91.6 g of metal — and resale usually attracts a refining charge on top of the purity deduction.
At a spot price of $2,000 per troy ounce, 100 g of 999.9 fine gold contains 99.99 g of metal, worth roughly $6,430. The same 100 g in 22k contains 91.6 g — roughly $5,890 — before any refining deduction. That difference of over 8% is why we record purity on every security label and print it on your custody receipt.