Buying gold in Nepal — prices, purity and the checklist to verify

Gold buying in Nepal happens through jewellers under FENEGOSIDA-published daily rates. Whether you're buying bangles for Dashain or a hedge investment, the same few checks protect you.

Know the two standards

Fine gold is 9999 (24K) — the purest, used as the quoted "gold price in Nepal today" per tola. Tejabi is the traditional 22K standard most jewellery is made in; its rate tracks slightly below fine. A tola weighs 11.6638 grams; smaller measurement unit is the lal (1 lal = 0.011663 g). When a store shows "per lal" prices, multiply carefully — it's 1/1000th of a tola.

The pre-purchase checklist

First, compare the counter's rate against the published daily rate on your phone, so you know how much is making charge (workmanship) versus metal value — making charges on designer pieces can add 15–30% extra. Second, ask for the hallmark stamp and purity declaration on the invoice; on resale this is the difference between fine and tejhabi value. Third, get a proper invoice with the weight in grams/tola and rate mentioned explicitly. Fourth, for investment (not jewellery), ask for bars/coins where making charge is minimal. Finally: the published rate changes during the day and shops add their own margin, so call or visit early rather than anchoring on yesterday's headline rate.