Gold Making Charges in Dubai, and What Zero Making Charge Offers Mean

Gold making charges in Dubai are what a jeweller adds for the work on a piece, on top of the value of its gold. Many stores price jewellery as gold weight plus making charges, and each store sets its own charge depending on how intricate the design is.¹⁴ We found no official body in the UAE that publishes a standard making charge, so the only reliable figure is the one the shop writes on your invoice. A "zero making charge" offer removes that line on selected pieces; you still pay the gold at the day's rate and 5% VAT.

How the price of a gold piece is built

Three parts make up the price of a new piece of plain gold jewellery:

1. The gold value. Gold is sold by weight, based on international gold rates.³ In Dubai the reference is the Dubai Jewellery Group (DJG) suggested retail price per gram for 24K, 22K, 21K, 18K and 14K gold, published every day and followed by the retail trade.⁵⁶ The DJG calls it a unified price across all stores.¹
2. The making charge. In addition to the weight price, a charge is added for craftsmanship, which varies with the intricacy of the piece.² Visit Dubai calls it a labour charge added by each store.⁴
3. VAT. The UAE VAT rate is 5%, and jewellery is taxed at that rate.⁹¹⁷ It is charged on the price of the piece, so the making charge is taxed too.⁹

Stones, branded designs and the shop's guarantees add to the price of some pieces; they are covered below. The same three parts apply across the UAE: Visit Abu Dhabi and Visit Sharjah describe the craftsmanship charge in the same way.²³

How to calculate making charges and the full price

Gold prices change every day, so we do not print them in this guide. The table below is calculated from today's DJG rate for 22K and 18K gold, for three example weights:

Weight	22K, AED	18K, AED
5 g	2,167.50	1,781.25
10 g	4,335.00	3,562.50
20 g	8,670.00	7,125.00

That is the first part of the price only. To get the full price of a piece, use this formula:

Step	What you calculate	Where the number comes from
1. Gold value	Weight in grams x today's rate per gram for the karat	The weight on the tag or invoice; the rate on the 22K gold rate page or the page for your karat
2. Making charge	The amount the shop names for this piece	Ask the shop for it in dirhams, as its own line
3. Price before VAT	Gold value + making charge	Steps 1 and 2
4. VAT	Price before VAT x 5%	UAE VAT rate9
5. Total	Price before VAT + VAT	What you pay

For a 10 gram 22K chain, the gold value is the 10 g figure in the table above. If the shop quotes a making charge of M dirhams, the price before VAT is that figure plus M, and the total is 1.05 times that. You can enter weight and karat in the gold price calculator for step 1.

Per gram, percentage or a fixed amount

Shops do not all quote the making charge the same way. Whatever form you are given, turn it into one dirham amount for the piece before you compare:

• Per gram: multiply by the weight of the piece.
• As a percentage: ask which amount it is a percentage of, then work it out in dirhams.
• Under another name: if the shop lists a separate labour or "wastage" line, ask whether it is part of the making charge or extra, and add every line together.

Why making charges differ from piece to piece

• The design. The charge varies with the intricacy of the piece, and the more intricate the design, the more you can expect to pay.²³ Our gold ring price guide breaks down real ring listings line by line.
• The store. Each store adds its own labour charge.⁴
• The brand. Designs from celebrated or well-known brands carry a premium, DJG says.⁷
• What the shop offers after the sale. Exchanges, returns, buy-back programmes, certification and after-sales service can also influence the price.⁷
• Stones. Diamond jewellery is usually made in 18K gold, and DJG names the carat, clarity, colour and cut as the key factors in the price of a diamond.⁷

You can negotiate it

The DJG gold price is unified across stores, so the room to bargain is in the making charge.¹ Visit Sharjah says you can negotiate on the craftsmanship, and Visit Dubai says Gold Souk retailers will offer a bargain if you are fair with your price.³¹² Ask two or three shops for the same type of piece and compare the total per gram. Our gold chain price guide shows how this works for chains.

Zero making charges on gold in Dubai: what the offer means

A zero making charge offer means the shop drops the second line of the formula on some pieces. Gulf News reported in March 2025 that a handful of smaller retailers sold at 0% making charge every day, outside promotions, and that members of the Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group warned against the practice; one board member said such pieces were likely a clearance of outdated designs.¹⁶ On 14 November 2026 we read the published terms of one retailer's zero-making collection and two bank card offers on making charges.

One retailer's zero-making terms

Al Fanan Jewellery in Dubai lists the following for its Zero Making Charge Collection:¹³

• It applies to selected products, not the whole range.
• The price is the gold value only, with zero making and zero labour charges; in the store, the final price follows the gold rate at the time of payment.
• The page says you pay for gold plus VAT; delivery, handling, processing and online payment fees are charged separately depending on how you pay and collect, and they are non-refundable.
• Items stay in the collection until sold or removed, with no end date.
• The page gives two different return rules: a 7-day return policy with a one-time exchange in one section, and no refunds or exchanges except for a faulty, incorrect or damaged item reported within 3 days in its FAQ.

Making-charge discounts on bank cards

Two banks list the same jeweller, Zaiba Jewellers, with a discount on making charges rather than a zero charge:

• Emirates Islamic cards: up to 35% off gold jewellery making charges with a minimum spend of AED 500, not for gold bars and coins, one offer at a time and not combined with in-store promotions, valid until 31 May 2027.¹⁴
• National Bank of Fujairah credit cards: up to 35% off making charges with a minimum spend of AED 500, valid from 15 July 2026 to 1 May 2027, one offer per transaction, not for gold bars and coins.¹⁵

"Up to" means the discount is not the same on every piece. Ask what the discount is on the piece you want, and work out the total per gram as above.

Gold bars and coins

Both bank offers exclude gold bars and coins from the making-charge discount.¹⁴¹⁵ Bars and coins are priced differently from jewellery, and investment gold of 99% purity or more is zero-rated for VAT.¹¹ Our guide to gold bars and coins explains how dealers price them.

The making charge when you sell

The making charge is a cost, not part of the value you can get back. On resale a jeweller values a piece by its material value, which can be much lower than what you paid, DJG says.⁷ This is why a high making charge matters more on a piece you may sell later. See how to sell gold in Dubai.

VAT and the tourist refund

VAT is 5% on jewellery.¹⁷ Only investment gold of 99% purity or more, in a form traded in global bullion markets, is zero-rated, so gold jewellery of 22K and below does not qualify.¹¹

Visitors can claim VAT back when they leave: the refund is 85% of the VAT paid, minus a fee of AED 4.80 per tax-free tag, on a minimum spend of AED 250 at a retailer in the scheme, validated within 90 days of purchase.¹⁰ More on this in VAT on gold in the UAE.

Before you pay

• Today's rate for your karat, from our rate pages.
• The karat stamp on the piece; our guide to 916 gold and hallmarks shows what the numbers mean.
• The weight, the karat, the making charge and the VAT, each on its own line of the invoice, with the jeweller's stamp.⁸
• The digital authentication certificate, which Visit Dubai says gives the karats, the weight of gold, the weight of stones and the cost of the labour.⁴
• The total divided by the weight, to compare shops on the same day.
• For an offer: which pieces it covers, any minimum spend, the end date and the return rule.