What does 916 gold mean?
916 refers to fineness: 916 parts of pure gold per 1,000 parts of metal, or approximately 91.6% gold purity. It is the millesimal equivalent of 22 karat (22 ÷ 24 = 0.9166…), so "916 gold" and "22K gold" describe the same alloy. The remaining 8.4% is typically copper and silver, added to make the metal hard enough for daily wear.
In the UAE, 22K and 21K gold dominate jewellery sales, with 18K used for lighter designer pieces. Dubai's Gold Souk and malls display the official daily rate for each karat, published in dirhams per gram, and negotiate making charges on top.