How to Price 18K, 22K, and 24K Gold Jewellery Automatically in WooCommerce
Introduction
Many jewellery stores sell gold across multiple purities. A bridal set in 22K. Diamond-set pieces in 18K. Plain gold chains in 24K. Each purity has a different per-gram rate, and each product needs to be priced accordingly — and updated every time gold moves.
If you’re managing this manually in WooCommerce, you’re already aware of the problem: you have to maintain separate correct prices for three different gold rates across potentially hundreds of products. This article shows you how to set up automatic pricing for 18K, 22K, and 24K gold in WooCommerce so every product always shows the right price for its specific purity — updated instantly when you change any rate.
Understanding Gold Purity and How Rates Differ
Gold purity is measured in karats (K) or fineness. Here’s what the numbers mean:
24K Gold (999 or 999.9 fineness): Pure gold. This is the benchmark for all gold pricing. 24K gold is too soft for most wearable jewellery — it scratches and bends easily — but it’s used for gold coins, bars, and some specialised jewellery like traditional South Indian temple jewellery.
22K Gold (916 fineness): 91.6% pure gold, with the remaining 8.4% being other metals (usually copper and silver) added for durability. This is the most common purity for gold jewellery in India and the Middle East. The 916 hallmark you see on Indian jewellery refers to this purity.
18K Gold (750 fineness): 75% pure gold. More durable than 22K and better suited for intricate settings, particularly for diamond and coloured gemstone jewellery. Popular in Western markets and increasingly in India for modern, contemporary pieces.
14K and 9K: Used for more affordable jewellery; 14K is common in the US market, 9K in the UK.
The Price Relationship Between Purities
The per-gram rate for different purities is mathematically derived from the 24K rate:
- 22K rate = 24K rate × 0.916 (or × 22/24)
- 18K rate = 24K rate × 0.750 (or × 18/24)
- 14K rate = 24K rate × 0.583
So if today’s 24K gold rate is ₹6,780/gram:
- 22K = ₹6,780 × 0.916 = ₹6,211/gram
- 18K = ₹6,780 × 0.750 = ₹5,085/gram
- 14K = ₹6,780 × 0.583 = ₹3,953/gram
In practice, the rates you use in your store should come from your supplier’s rate sheet or from MCX/market rates for the specific purity, rather than calculated from scratch — supplier rates sometimes include a small premium or use slightly different fineness values. But understanding the relationship helps you sanity-check rates and catch errors.
Setting Up Multi-Purity Gold Pricing in the ITS Plugin
The ITS Jewellery Price Plugin handles multi-purity pricing by letting you create a separate metal entry for each gold purity. Each has its own current rate, and products are assigned to the specific purity they’re made of.
Step 1: Create Metal Entries for Each Purity
Navigate to Jewellery Price → Metals and create an entry for each gold purity you stock.
Adding Gold 24K:
- Metal Name: Gold 24K
- Price per gram: Today’s 24K rate (e.g., ₹6,780)
- Unit: Gram
Adding Gold 22K:
- Metal Name: Gold 22K
- Price per gram: Today’s 22K rate (e.g., ₹6,211)
- Unit: Gram
Adding Gold 18K:
- Metal Name: Gold 18K
- Price per gram: Today’s 18K rate (e.g., ₹5,085)
- Unit: Gram
Add as many purities as your store uses. If you also carry 14K or 9K, add those too.
Naming convention matters: Use consistent, clear names. Your product assignment dropdown will show these names, so “Gold 22K” is better than “22k” or “gold22”. Consistency prevents confusion when assigning products, especially if you have a large catalogue.
Step 2: Assign Products to Their Specific Purity
For each gold jewellery product, go to Products → Edit Product, open the Jewellery Price tab, and select the correct purity from the Metal Type dropdown.
A 22K gold necklace gets assigned to Gold 22K. An 18K white gold ring gets assigned to Gold 18K. Each product is linked to the correct purity’s rate.
This is the key insight: each product knows which metal rate to use. When you update the Gold 22K rate, only products assigned to Gold 22K recalculate. Your 18K products are unaffected — and vice versa.
Step 3: Update All Three Rates Each Morning
Your daily pricing routine now has a few more lines, but it’s still fast:
- Go to Jewellery Price → Metals
- Update Gold 24K to today’s 24K rate
- Update Gold 22K to today’s 22K rate
- Update Gold 18K to today’s 18K rate
- Click Save
This takes under 3 minutes and keeps all purities correctly priced throughout the day.
Efficiency tip: If you know the 24K rate, you can calculate the others in your head (or with a quick calculator) using the purity percentages. Some jewellers keep a small note or spreadsheet formula for this. Your supplier’s daily rate communication usually lists all purities separately — use that as your source.
Configuring Making Charges by Purity
Making charges often differ between gold purities. Higher-purity 24K gold jewellery is typically simpler in design (because pure gold is soft) and may have lower making charges. 18K gold jewellery often has more intricate settings for gemstones and can command higher making charges reflecting the additional craftsmanship.
In the ITS plugin, making charges are configured per product — not per metal type. This gives you the flexibility to set the appropriate making charge for each piece regardless of its purity.
Example configuration for three products:
A plain 24K gold chain (15g):
- Metal: Gold 24K
- Weight: 15g
- Making charge: ₹200/gram (flat) — simple machine-made chain
- Wastage: 2%
A 22K gold bangle with enamel work (18g):
- Metal: Gold 22K
- Weight: 18g
- Making charge: ₹500/gram (flat) — moderate craftsmanship
- Wastage: 5%
An 18K white gold diamond ring (4g gold, diamond separately priced):
- Metal: Gold 18K
- Weight: 4g (gold component only)
- Making charge: 15% of metal value (high-craft setting work)
- Wastage: 4%
Each product is priced accurately for its specific purity, making charge, and wastage, and updates automatically when the corresponding gold rate changes.
Handling Variable Products Across Purities
Some jewellery designs are offered in both 18K and 22K variants — the same ring design in different gold purities, for instance. WooCommerce variable products let you offer these as a single product with a purity dropdown.
Setting this up with the ITS plugin:
- Create the product as a Variable Product in WooCommerce
- Add a “Purity” attribute with options “18K” and “22K”
- Create a variation for each purity
- In the Jewellery Price tab for each variation, assign the correct metal type and enter the weight (which may differ slightly between purities due to alloy composition)
- Set different making charges if applicable
When a customer selects “22K” in the dropdown, the price and breakup calculate using the Gold 22K rate. When they select “18K,” it recalculates using the Gold 18K rate. The transition is instant and the price breakup updates to show the correct metal value for each selection.
The SEO Case for Purity-Specific Pages
From an SEO perspective, having clear purity labels in your product names and descriptions is valuable. Customers searching “22K gold necklace online” or “18K white gold ring” use purity as a key search qualifier.
Naming recommendations for your products:
- Use the karat value in every product title: “22K Gold Peacock Necklace — 15g” rather than “Gold Peacock Necklace”
- Use the formal purity notation consistently (22K, not 22k or 22 Karat)
- In product descriptions, mention the BIS hallmark (916 for 22K, 750 for 18K) — customers search for these certification markers
- Create category pages for each purity (22K Gold Jewellery, 18K Gold Jewellery) — these rank for purity-specific browse queries
The price breakup display also contributes to SEO value here: your product pages contain detailed, specific content (metal weight, today’s rate, specific gram calculations) that makes them richer and more information-dense than competitors who show only a final price.
Displaying All Three Gold Rates on Your Site
Use the
shortcode to display a live rates table showing all your configured gold purities (and any other metals). A table showing “Today’s Gold Rate” for 24K, 22K, and 18K gold on a dedicated page is:
- Useful for customers comparing purities before buying
- Valuable for SEO (people actively search for “today’s 22K gold rate”)
- A demonstration that your pricing is current and actively maintained
Many jewellery stores create a dedicated “Today’s Gold Rate” page with this shortcode and feature it prominently in their navigation. It drives organic traffic and serves as a trust signal.
Common Questions About Multi-Purity Pricing
Should I show the purity in the price breakup?
Yes. The breakup table should show which metal type is used (Gold 22K) and the current rate per gram (₹6,211/g) alongside the weight and calculation. This makes the breakup immediately verifiable for any customer who knows today’s gold rate.
What if my supplier’s 22K rate doesn’t match the calculated rate from 24K?
Always use your supplier’s actual rate, not a calculated one. Supplier rates sometimes include small premiums for storage, certification, or delivery. If your supplier says 22K is ₹6,250/g today while the mathematical calculation gives ₹6,211/g, use ₹6,250/g — that’s your actual cost.
How do I handle gold weight for alloys?
For 22K gold (91.6% pure), a 15-gram item contains 15 × 0.916 = 13.74 grams of pure gold plus 1.26 grams of alloy metals. However, the jewellery industry convention is typically to use the total gold alloy weight (15g) with the per-gram rate for that purity. This is already factored into the 22K/18K per-gram rate — you don’t need to adjust the weight separately. Confirm this with your supplier to ensure your calculations match theirs.
Conclusion
Multi-purity gold pricing in WooCommerce becomes fully automated with the ITS Jewellery Price Plugin. Create a metal entry for each purity, assign products to their correct purity, and each morning’s rate update takes under 3 minutes for all three. Every 18K product updates when you update the 18K rate. Every 22K product updates when you update the 22K rate.
The result is a store where customers always see accurate, purity-specific prices — and where you never have to manually calculate or enter a product price again.
Start automating multi-purity gold pricing with the ITS plugin →
