Chinese Wedding Gold: 三金, 四点金 and Dragon-Phoenix Bangles, and What They Cost Today

What 三金, 四金, 五金 and 四点金 mean

On the mainland the core set is 三金 (three golds): usually a ring, a necklace and earrings, with a bangle replacing the earrings in some regions. 四金 adds a bangle (金手镯). 五金 adds a pendant, or in Taiwan a bracelet and an anklet. In Guangdong, Hong Kong and among Teochew, Hokkien and Cantonese families in Singapore and Malaysia, the four-piece set is called 四点金 (Cantonese 四飾金): necklace, bracelet or bangle, earrings and ring.

A 2026 mainland buying guide puts a full 五金 set at 25–55 g: bangle 10–25 g, necklace 4–10 g, pendant 3–8 g, ring 2–5 g and earrings 2–5 g. Its three budget tiers come to about 20–26 g, 30–38 g and 41–51 g.

Who gives what, and when

• Groom's family: buys the 三金 or 四点金, often with the couple choosing the pieces together. In the south and in Hong Kong the gold is presented at 过大礼 / 過大禮, the betrothal-gift day a few weeks before the wedding, and the groom's mother may put the pieces on the bride herself. On the mainland the gold is often negotiated alongside the cash 彩礼 (bride price).
• Bride's family: gives gold as part of the 嫁妝 (dowry). In Hong Kong this gold belongs to the bride, and the bride's parents may also give dragon-and-phoenix bangles or a gold crown. Families do differ on which side gives the bangles.
• Elders and relatives: give bangles, gold pigs and necklaces at the tea ceremony (斟茶). This is why a Cantonese bride may end the day with several pairs of bangles stacked on each arm.

Mainland vs Hong Kong vs Singapore and Malaysia

Mainland China counts in grams and buys 足金 (999) or 999.9 pure gold. Sets are comparatively light, typically 20–50 g. Hong Kong still weighs and prices gold in taels (1 兩 = 37.429 g). A full Hong Kong set is a 4–5 piece group of dragon-and-phoenix bangles, a gold pig necklace, a ring and earrings in 999.9 gold, and it is usually heavier, with extra pairs of bangles from relatives. Singapore and Malaysia Chinese usually buy 四点金 in 916 (22K), which is harder for daily wear; one 2026 Singapore guide calls 15–25 g of 916 a modest set. The calculator above assumes 999 gold; for a 916 set, the gold value is about 8% lower per gram.

How record prices changed wedding gold in 2025–26

The World Gold Council recorded mainland jewellery demand falling 25% to 360.1 t in 2025, and Hong Kong's falling 21%, even as spending in value terms rose. Light 'hard pure gold' (硬足金) pieces were the bright spot. Mainland press in 2025 described couples swapping a bangle for a lighter bracelet, buying 50 g bank bars and having a workshop make them into a bangle and ring, or buying from wholesale markets. A 2026 retailer survey found over 40% of shops adding stock under 5 g. In Hong Kong, a rental firm told Sing Tao in October 2025 that wedding-gold rentals (gold pig and dragon-phoenix bangles, about HK$9,380 for three days) were up about 30%, with gold above HK$40,000 a tael.