A jewelry ticket in an Egyptian shop is three numbers added together: metal value, workmanship, and the dealer's margin. Separating them tells you how much of the price you can expect back on resale.
Weight in grams multiplied by the live price for that karat. This is the only part of the ticket a dealer will buy back, and it is the part that moves with the market.
Charged as a percentage — around 4.45% is the Egyptian market average on standard 21K — or as a per-gram figure for hand-made and branded pieces, commonly EGP 50 to 250 per gram. Intricate designs, imported pieces and boutique brands sit at the top of that range. This charge is sunk cost the moment you leave the shop.
On top of workmanship, the shop applies its own margin, and stamping/hallmarking fees may appear as a separate line. The combined effect is that a piece typically has to appreciate 7-8% before a resale breaks even.
Metal value is not negotiable — it is a market price. Workmanship usually is, especially on machine-made chains and on larger purchases. Ask for the masna'iya as an explicit per-gram figure rather than a percentage of the total: it makes comparison between shops immediate, and it is the single most effective question you can ask at the counter.
Loading live data…