# What You Actually Pay for Gold in Dubai: Rate, Making, VAT

> Every gold price in Dubai is three numbers: the metal, the making and the tax. Here is how to read them, compare shops fairly and spot a bad deal.

Canonical: https://mazimo.ae/journal/making-charges-vs-gold-rate-dubai

Gold rates · Published 22 September 2026 · 6 min read · Mazimo Jewellery, Dubai

A gold price in Dubai is not one number. It is the gold itself, priced by weight at the day's rate; the making charge, which pays for the design and the work; and 5% VAT on the total. Once you can separate the three, every shop and every piece becomes easy to compare.

## 1. The gold value

Weigh the piece in grams, multiply by the rate for its karat. That rate moves through the day with the world gold price and the dirham's fixed link to the dollar, which is why Mazimo publishes a [live rate](https://mazimo.ae/gold-rates) rather than a printed one. This part of the price is the same at every honest jeweller on the same day; it is the part you get back when you sell or exchange.

## 2. The making charge

The making charge is what the jeweller adds for casting, finishing, setting and design. It can be quoted per gram or as a fixed amount per piece. Simple machine-made chains carry a low charge; hand-finished Italian bracelets, sculpted 21K rings and pieces with pavé settings carry more, because the labour is real. The making charge is not gold: it is not returned at resale, so it is the number to scrutinise.

## 3. VAT

5% applies to the whole invoice. Visitors to the UAE can reclaim it on departure through the tax-free shopping scheme; ask for the receipt at the counter.

## How to compare two pieces fairly

1. Ask for the weight in grams and the karat. Both should be on the invoice.
2. Multiply by today's rate for that karat to get the gold value.
3. Subtract from the quoted price (before VAT). What is left is the making charge.
4. Now compare making charges, not totals. A heavier piece is not a better deal if half of it is labour you cannot recover.

## What a fair making charge looks like

There is no single right number, but there are signals. A charge quoted openly, in writing, before you decide. A charge that rises for fine work and falls for plain work. A jeweller happy to weigh the piece again in front of you. Mazimo prints the gold weight, the karat and the rate of the day on every invoice, so the arithmetic above is easy to check.

## Where the making charge is worth paying

On pieces you will wear for years. A [well-made Italian bracelet](https://mazimo.ae/shop/18k-italian-gold-bracelets) with a secure clasp, a [signet ring](https://mazimo.ae/shop/gold-rings) with a properly polished face, earrings with posts that do not bend: the labour shows every day. On a plain investment bangle, keep the charge low and the karat high.

## Three questions to ask before you pay

What is the weight and karat? What is today's rate for that karat? What is the making charge, separately? If any answer is vague, walk on.

**At Mazimo.** Every piece is weighed in front of you at Al Manal Center, Deira, priced on the [live gold rate](https://mazimo.ae/gold-rates) of the day, and leaves with a certificate of purity and a tracking code you can check any time at [mazimo.ae/track](https://mazimo.ae/track). Delivery across the UAE is insured and complimentary; unworn pieces can be exchanged within 48 hours of delivery.

Prices and rates mentioned are indicative at the time of writing. For today's number see [today's gold rate](https://mazimo.ae/gold-rates), or [message the boutique](https://mazimo.ae/contact).