How to read a jewellery weight breakup in sixty seconds

Take a quote for a 60 gram choker. Gross weight 60g. Stone weight 12g. Net metal weight is therefore 48g — and metal is charged on 48g, not 60g. If a quote charges metal on the gross weight, you are paying gold rate for stones.

Metal value: 48g at the day's per-gram rate for your karat. That figure should be reproducible from any published rate on that date.

Stone value: quoted separately as carats at a per-carat rate for the grade. Uncut polki, lab grown and imitation stones sit at completely different rates, so the grade must be written down.

Making charge: a percentage of the metal value, covering framing, setting, meena and polish. Ask whether it is on metal value or on gross value; on metal value is the honest form.

Wastage: if it appears at all, it should be a named percentage stated up front. Add GST at the statutory rate and you have the total. Any quote you cannot rebuild this way is hiding something.