Can I pledge antique or custom-made gold jewellery for a gold loan?

Yes, you can pledge antique or custom-made gold jewellery for a gold loan, but there are important conditions. What matters most is the purity, weight and ownership of the piece. According to the Reserve Bank of India’s norms on Lending against Gold and Silver Collateral, eligible collateral includes gold jewellery and ornaments.

In practice, antique pieces may be accepted if:

• They are of acceptable purity (for example, a lender may seek at least 22 karat, depending on policy).
• The net weight of the gold (after subtracting stones, lac, and non-gold metal) can be clearly assessed.
• You can show the ownership of the gold assets, and the lender is satisfied that the item is eligible under its internal policy.

That said, custom-made jewellery that’s heavily designed, has a lot of stones or mixed metals, or whose history isn’t clear, is usually checked more closely and may get a slightly lower valuation. Always check with the lender about their specific acceptance criteria for antique or custom pieces — it’s worth verifying before heading to branch.