Buying Gold in Istanbul: Karats, Hallmarks, Labour Charges and Fair Prices (2026)

Gold in Turkey is sold mostly by weight. That makes it one of the more transparent things you can buy — once you understand how the price is built. This guide explains karats and hallmarks, the labour charge, Turkish gold coins and how to check you are paying a fair rate.

How a gold price is built

A jeweller's price for a piece of gold jewellery is:

weight (grams) × today's gram price for that karat + labour charge (işçilik)

• The gram price follows the international gold price and the lira exchange rate and changes during the day. Jewellers display it; you can also check the day's rate on Turkish financial sites before you go.
• The labour charge covers making the piece. Plain chains and bangles carry a low charge; intricate or designer work carries more. This is where shops differ and where you negotiate.
• Ask the jeweller to weigh the piece in front of you and to write the weight, karat, gram price and labour charge separately on the invoice.

Karats and hallmarks

Turkish gold is stamped with its fineness:

Karat	Hallmark	Typical use
14k	585	Everyday jewellery, harder-wearing
18k	750	Fine jewellery, diamond settings
22k	916	Traditional bangles (bilezik), coins
24k	995 / 999	Bars and investment gold

Look for the hallmark stamp on the clasp or inside the ring or bangle. A piece with no stamp, or a karat you cannot verify, is not worth a "bargain" price.

Turkish gold coins

Turkish gold coins are a traditional gift and savings method and are sold at every jeweller. The most common is the çeyrek (quarter), then the yarım (half), tam (full) and the Cumhuriyet (Republic) coin. They are 22-karat. Coins are priced close to their gold value plus a small margin, and the buying and selling prices are both posted. If you are buying gold mainly as an investment, coins and bars are usually better value than jewellery because the labour charge is small.

Where to buy

• The Grand Bazaar. The historic centre of the gold trade, with jewellery shops concentrated on the main streets such as Kalpakçılar Caddesi. Competition keeps standard pieces close to the market rate, but shops facing the tourist streets may quote a higher labour charge first.
• Kuyumcukent (Yenibosna, near the airport). A large jewellery and wholesale complex where locals and the trade buy.
• Neighbourhood jewellers. Every district has them; for coins and simple bangles they are often the easiest place to buy at the posted rate.

Checks before you pay

1. Know the day's gram price for the karat before you walk in.
2. Ask for weight, karat and labour charge separately. Compare the labour charge between two or three shops for the same type of piece.
3. Check the hallmark.
4. Ask what the shop would pay to buy the piece back. A big gap between selling and buy-back price on a simple piece is a warning sign.
5. Get an invoice (fatura) with the weight and karat.

Taking gold out of Turkey

Keep the invoice. Turkish customs allows personal jewellery to be taken out of the country within set value limits, and above them the jewellery must be declared or shown to have been bought in Turkey; the limit has been cited as USD 15,000 for many years, but check the current rule with Turkish customs before a large purchase. Your home country may also charge duty or VAT on gold above its traveller allowance. The VAT refund scheme generally does not apply to investment gold — see the VAT refund guide.

Ask the community

Where did you buy, what was the labour charge, and how did it compare with the posted rate? Share it in Where did you buy gold in Istanbul?

Related: Buying jewellery and diamonds · Shopping in Turkey (hub) · Istanbul's bazaars