Two gold chains can look nearly identical and cost hundreds of dollars apart. The difference usually isn't the gold — it's everything stacked on top of it: the brand, the boutique, the middlemen. We think that's backwards.
At Bijouterie Minted, we price solid gold jewellery by weight. You pay for the grams of gold in the piece at that day's market rate, plus one flat fee for making it. That's the whole calculation, and we show it to you. We come from a family that's spent generations around gold — buying it, weighing it, working it — and pricing this way is simply how we were taught it should be done.
At a Glance
- What "priced by weight" actually means, in real numbers
- Where your money goes in a traditional gold price — and where it goes in ours
- Why 18k earns its place for everyday wear
- The exact things to check so you never overpay for a logo
What "By Weight" Actually Means
When you buy by weight, you're paying for the grams of gold in the piece, at the day's market rate, plus a flat fee for the craftsmanship. That's it. The number reflects what the piece is actually made of — not the name stamped on the box.
Conventional retail works the other way around. Two similar chains can differ by hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on the brand, the store, or which mall it sits in — differences that have nothing to do with the gold itself.
Where Your Money Goes in a Traditional Gold Price
At most retailers, the price on a gold piece is carrying a lot of weight that isn't gold:
- Brand premiums
- Store rent, staff, and marketing
- Middleman markups
- Inventory and warehousing
None of that is the metal. It's the cost of moving a branded piece from a factory floor to a display case — and it all lands on your receipt.
How We Price, in Real Numbers
Our price is built from three things: the exact weight of solid gold in the piece, the current market rate per gram, and one fixed craftsmanship fee. Nothing hidden, nothing padded.
Here's how that looks in practice. As we write this, gold is trading around $195 a gram. In 18k — 75% pure — that works out to roughly $145 per gram of finished piece. So a 5-gram 18k ring holds about $730 of gold. Add our flat making fee and that's your price, laid out on the product page so you can see every part of it. No logo tax, no showroom rent baked in.
Because the rate moves daily, so does the price — which is exactly the point. You're always paying today's honest number, not a figure set months ago with room to spare.
Why 18k Is Worth It
Gold-plated and vermeil pieces fade and flake; the gold is a whisper-thin layer over base metal. Solid 18k doesn't do that. At 75% pure gold, it holds its colour and lustre for decades while staying tough enough for daily wear — the balance that's made it our most-loved karat and the reason it turns into an heirloom instead of landfill.
Priced by weight, a piece like that isn't only jewellery — it's real material you're holding onto. We don't sell gold as an investment, but we won't pretend a solid gold piece isn't worth something in its own right, because it is.
Why Doesn't Everyone Sell Gold This Way?
Because markups are where the money is. It's easier to sell a story about luxury than to show a customer the math. Some brands will use lower-karat or plated gold and still price it like a treasure. Weight-based pricing only works if you're willing to open the books — so most don't.
How to Shop So You Never Overpay
Whether you're buying from us or anyone else, these five checks will tell you what a piece is really worth:
- Ask the karat — 14k, 18k, 24k — and don't accept a vague answer.
- Ask the weight in grams.
- Work out the price per gram, then compare it across brands.
- Walk away from "gold-tone," "gold-filled," or "gold-plated" if what you want is solid gold.
- Look for a listing that shows the breakdown, not just a total.
On every Bijouterie Minted product page, the weight and the cost breakdown are right there. Nothing to ask for, nothing to dig out.
What You Get With Bijouterie Minted
- Solid gold, always — never plated, filled, or vermeil
- Pricing set from the live gold rate, every day
- Made to order in Montreal
- Minimal designs built to outlast trends
It's a simple trade: we keep the process honest, and you get more gold for your money.
Conclusion
Buying gold by weight comes down to one idea — you should know what you're paying for. The karat, the weight, the rate, the fee. When all of it is on the table, every dollar you spend is grounded in something real. That's the way we've always believed gold should be sold.
Have a look at our solid gold collection.
