Why High Karat Gold Wins
(and Mall Gold Almost Always Loses You Money)
No fluff. No rounding up. Straight numbers.
| Ring Type | Finished Weight | Gold Purity | Pure Gold Content | Current Melt Value (Dec 2025) | Price Per Gram | Typical Retail Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical mall 14k men’s band | 6–10 g | 58.3% | 3.5–5.8 g | $650–$1,080 | $691 | $2,500–$4,000 |
| “Heavy” mall 14k band | 12–15 g | 58.3% | 7–8.7 g | $1,300–$1,620 | $641 | $4,000–$6,000 |
| SSF 1 oz American Gold Eagle Ring | 26–27 g | 91.67% | ≈ 23.8–25.0 g | ≈ $4,450–$4,620 | $224 | $5,395 (Dec '25) |
| SSF Reserve Edition Pre-1933 | 27–28 g | 91.67% | ≈ 23.8–25.0 g | ≈ $4,620–$4,780 + collector premium | $302 | $7,250 |
Price per gram = retail ÷ gold weight—SSF delivers 4-7x the gold at less than half the cost per gram!
We start with a full 1 troy ounce (31.1 g) U.S. Mint gold. During forging some gold is removed so the ring fits comfortably and the details stay crisp. What you actually wear every day is 27–28 grams of 22k gold containing roughly 25 grams of pure gold—still 4–7× more real gold than any mall jeweler will ever sell you in a single ring.
The Mall Trap – How It Works
- They sell small, light rings (6–15 g total).
- They fill most of it with cheap alloy (58% gold in 14k).
- They price it like solid gold because they have marble floors, commission salespeople, and sky-high rent to cover.
Result: You pay $3,000–$6,000 for a ring that has $650–$1,600 of actual gold in it.
The Silver State Foundry Difference
We start with a full-ounce U.S. Mint coin. We hand-forge it into a ring that still weighs 27–28 grams and contains ~25 grams of pure gold. Even after the material removed in forging, you’re wearing more real gold on one finger than most people own in a lifetime of mall jewelry—and paying far less per gram for it.
That’s why buyers who purchased from us in 2020–2025 are already ahead on melt value alone, even with the small amount of gold we remove during the forging process.
Bottom Line
Mall jewelry is priced like solid gold, built like costume jewelry, and sold in a palace of overhead.
Silver State Foundry rings are the opposite:
- 27–28 grams of 22k (91.67%) gold on your finger
- Started life as a genuine U.S. Mint 1 oz coin
- Veteran-forged, shipped direct
- Built to appreciate instead of depreciate
Ready for gold that actually works for you?
→ 1 oz American Gold Eagle Ring – lock in before the January 2 increase
→ Reserve Edition Pre-1933 – only 8 exist this year
Forge on,
Terry Ladd
Founder, Silver State Foundry
Veteran-owned ∙ Lifetime Guarantee ∙ No BS