Your gold questions, answered in plain words.

It is the live number at the top of this site.

It is the price of one troy ounce of pure gold, in Canadian dollars. We update it every minute. It is the same in every province.

We convert the US-dollar price.

Gold trades in US dollars. We multiply the live price by the Bank of Canada’s latest daily exchange rate, and show that rate beside the price.

It is the ounce price divided by 31.1.

Our home page shows it under the ounce price. The gold price table shows it for every karat.

It is the price per gram times 10.

For jewellery, use the per gram price for your karat, then multiply by 10.

Both are live on our home page.

You can see them side by side, per ounce and per gram, in Canadian dollars. Both update every minute.

It is the price of pure gold right now.

It is the same as the gold price today, and it changes all day. A shop’s screen may show a slightly different number.

24K is pure gold, so it is the same as the spot price.

Gold bars and Gold Maple Leaf coins are 24K. Most jewellery is not, so it is worth less per gram.

10K is 41.7% gold. 14K is 58.3% gold.

These are the most common karats in Canadian jewellery. Our gold price table shows the live price per gram for each.

On our gold price history page.

It lists the gold price in Canadian dollars for every month and year since 1960, with a chart. Find it under Prices in the menu.

It is the special ounce used for gold and silver.

It weighs 31.1 grams. A kitchen ounce weighs 28.35 grams. Our calculator does the math for you.

Use our calculator.

Enter the weight in grams and the karat stamped on your item, like 10K or 14K. It shows what the gold inside is worth today.

Shops have costs, so they pay a little less.

A small gap is normal. A big gap is a warning sign, so ask a second shop.

We list them and check city licences where we can.

Each province page lists pawn shops, coin shops and gold buyers with a name, a street address and a phone number. In Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and four smaller British Columbia cities we match shops to the city’s licence register. Being listed is not a recommendation, so run the six checks on our “How to check a buyer” page before you sell.

Some shops charge a fee to test your item.

Ask “Is there any fee?” before you hand anything over. Ask them to write the offer down.

Usually, yes.

Many cities require pawn shops and gold buyers to record your photo ID and keep a record of the sale. Bring a driver’s licence or passport.

No. You do not charge sales tax on your own items.

Sales tax is paid when you buy. Jewellery is taxed. Investment bars and coins that are pure enough are not.

Usually not for old jewellery sold for less than you paid.

If you sell for more than you paid, half of the profit can be taxed. A sale of jewellery or coins for $1,000 or less usually leaves nothing to report. This is not tax advice.

Go to a real shop and never feel rushed.

Bring a friend if you can. You can always say “no, thank you” and walk out.