Guides
Short, plain-language explainers on buying, weighing and pricing gold and silver in Bangladesh — written for this site.
1. How to check gold purity before you buy
Purity decides what your gold is actually worth, so check it before money changes hands, not after. Start with the stamp: genuine jewellery sold in Bangladesh carries a hallmark or karat stamp — 22K, 21K or 18K — usually on the clasp, the inside of a ring band, or the hook of a chain. A missing or blurry stamp is a reason to walk away. Next, ask for a purity test. Reputable shops will test the piece on an XRF (X-ray fluorescence) machine or a touchstone in front of you; XRF is non-destructive and gives a percentage readout. 22K gold should read about 91.6% pure, 21K about 87.5%, and 18K about 75%. Then do the arithmetic yourself: weigh the piece and multiply the weight in grams by the indicative per-gram market price for that karat from our home page. If the metal value is far from what you were quoted for the gold content, ask why. Finally, keep the invoice — it should state the karat, the exact weight and the making charge separately. That paper is what protects you when you later sell or exchange the piece.
2. Bhori to gram, explained simply
Bangladesh prices gold by the bhori (also spelled vori), while most of the world uses grams. The conversion is fixed: 1 bhori = 11.664 grams. The bhori divides into 16 ana, so 1 ana = 0.729 grams, and each ana divides into 6 ratti, making 1 ratti = 0.1215 grams. The tola used in India and Pakistan is exactly the same weight as the bhori — 11.664 grams — so a price quoted per tola in India converts directly. To turn a per-bhori price into a per-gram price, divide by 11.664. The current indicative 22K market price of ৳220,858 per bhori, for example, is ৳220,858 ÷ 11.664 = ৳18,935 per gram. To go the other way, multiply the gram weight of a piece by the per-gram price: a 5-gram pendant at ৳18,935 per gram has a metal value of ৳94,675 before making charges. Our weight converter does all of these conversions instantly, including troy ounces and kilograms.
3. Making charge explained — what you actually pay over the gold price
The indicative market price covers the metal — but no shop sells finished jewellery at the metal price. On top of it you pay a making charge, the cost of designing and crafting the piece, and VAT where it applies. Shops quote the making charge either as a percentage of the metal value (commonly in the range of 8–25% depending on the intricacy of the work) or as a fixed amount per gram or per bhori. Two consequences matter. First, always ask for the making charge as a separate line on the invoice, and negotiate it — the metal price follows the market, but the making charge is where shops compete. Second, remember that when you sell the piece back, you are normally paid for the metal content only; the making charge is not refunded, and some shops also deduct a small percentage for wastage or melting. That is why heavily crafted jewellery is a purchase to enjoy, while plain, low-making-charge pieces keep more of their value as savings. Our price calculator shows the metal value and making charge as separate lines so you can compare quotes fairly.
4. How gold prices are set in Bangladesh
Gold in Bangladesh is not priced in isolation. The market price follows the international spot price of gold, converted at the prevailing dollar–taka exchange rate, with the costs of importing metal into the country, taxes and local demand built in. When the international market jumps or the taka moves against the dollar, the Bangladesh market price moves with it — which is why prices here can change several times in a single month. Jewellers across the country quote from this shared market price, per bhori, for each category: 22 karat, 21 karat, 18 karat and the traditional (sanatan) grade, for both gold and silver. The making charge is then added by the shop on top. When you see a headline saying gold ‘rose’ or ‘fell’, it means this market price moved — which is why bajus.info shows the exact taka change against the previous recorded price beside every price, and keeps an archive of each recording. One caution: the prices on bajus.info are indicative market prices for information only, not an official rate — always confirm the price with your jeweller before buying. Our price archive records each change instead of showing a single fixed price.
5. Dubai gold price vs Bangladesh gold price — why they differ
Travellers often notice that gold in Dubai looks cheaper per gram than gold in Dhaka, and wonder whether they are really saving money. Part of the gap is real: Dubai is a global bullion hub with very low taxes on gold, high competition and thin retail margins, while Bangladesh market prices build in the costs of importing metal into the country and local taxes. Exchange-rate movements between the taka, the dirham and the dollar add a second, shifting layer to the comparison. Before treating the gap as a saving, count the full cost of the Dubai route: the flight and stay, the making charge at the Dubai shop, and — most importantly — the rules on bringing gold into Bangladesh, where customs duty and baggage limits apply to jewellery and bars above the duty-free allowance. Gold bought abroad also needs a trusted purity check when you later sell it in Bangladesh. Comparing per gram, using the same karat and the same day's prices on both sides, is the only fair way to judge — our gold price page shows the comparison method.
6. Gold vs silver for savings — which suits you?
Gold and silver both store value, but they behave very differently as savings. Gold packs a lot of value into a small weight — at the current indicative market price, one bhori of 22K gold is worth ৳220,858 — so it is easy to store, easy to sell in any jewellery market in the country, and its price moves mainly with the international gold market and the dollar. Silver is far cheaper per gram (৳330 for 22K), so you can start with a small amount, but you need roughly 67 times the weight to hold the same value, and reselling large quantities of silver jewellery is slower. Silver's price also swings more sharply, because it is both a precious and an industrial metal. A common-sense approach many families use: hold gold for long-term, dependable savings, and treat silver as a smaller, more speculative addition bought only with money that can ride out the swings. Either way, buy from a shop that gives a proper invoice with karat and weight stated, prefer plain pieces with low making charges for the savings portion, and check our savings calculator to compare metal saving with a regular monthly deposit plan.