THE RUBY JOURNAL · BUYER'S GUIDE
What a Tola Means on a Jewellery Receipt
Before a jeweller discusses purity or workmanship, a receipt begins with weight. In Pakistan's gold trade, that weight is still commonly recorded in tola—a traditional unit worth understanding before any fine jewel is chosen or valued.Prepared and reviewed by the Ruby Jewellers house team in Lahore · Updated 2 September 2026The tola as a unit of weight
A tola is a traditional unit of weight from the South Asian subcontinent, still used alongside the gram across Pakistan's gold trade. The figure jewellers work from is 11.6638 grams to the tola—a conversion worth knowing before comparing any two pieces, receipts or workshop quotations.
Gross weight versus gold weight
A piece set with stones, beads or pearls carries two weights. Gross weight is what the whole jewel weighs, materials and all. Gold weight, sometimes called net weight, is the metal alone, once the weight of the stones or beads has been established and set aside. A careful jeweller records both, not just one.
Why the deduction exists
Gold is priced and valued by its own weight and purity; stones, beads and pearls are not. Where they can be weighed separately before setting, or reliably estimated once set, that weight is deducted from the gross figure so the gold content is never overstated.
Purity and weight, read together
Weight alone says little. A heavier piece in a lower karat can hold less actual gold than a lighter piece in a higher one. The metal value of any jewel comes from purity and net gold weight considered together, never from tola or gram weight in isolation.
What a careful receipt records
A trustworthy record names the piece, its stated purity, gross weight and net gold weight as separate figures, together with a description of any stones, beads or pearls and the making charges applied. Ask for each figure in writing rather than a single combined total.
Ask before you compare
Two quotations are only comparable when weighed on the same terms. Before comparing pieces or workshops, confirm whether a quoted weight is gross or net, and whether it was recorded in tola or gram. It is a reasonable question to put to any jeweller.
Questions, answered
How many grams are in one tola?+
The figure used across Pakistan's gold trade is 11.6638 grams to the tola. It is worth confirming which unit—tola or gram—any quoted weight refers to before comparing two pieces.
Why do gross and gold weight differ on a jewellery receipt?+
Gross weight includes any stones, beads or pearls set into the piece. Net gold weight is the metal alone, once that material has been weighed or estimated and deducted. A careful receipt records both figures separately.
Does a heavier piece always contain more gold?+
Not necessarily. Purity and net gold weight together determine the actual gold content, so a lighter piece in a higher karat can hold more gold than a heavier piece in a lower one.
