Should I buy gold or silver jewellery in Morocco?

My honest steer is that silver, not gold, is the jewellery worth buying in Morocco — it is where the craft tradition and the value both live. Berber silver is a whole world: chunky antique necklaces, fibula brooches once used to pin a woman’s wrap, enamelled pendants, and the cool, intricate filigree the southern towns are famous for. The real heartland is the south — Tiznit and Taroudant especially — where silversmithing is a deep, living trade, but you will find good silver souks in Marrakech, Fes and Essaouira too.

Gold, by contrast, is mostly a commodity purchase here. Moroccan families do buy gold, and the gold souks in the medinas are real, but gold is sold close to the international spot price by weight, so the "deal" is marginal and the designs are often aimed at local taste rather than the traveller. You are not getting the craft-for-the-price advantage that makes silver so appealing. Unless you specifically want a gold piece and know your weights and karats, I rarely point visitors toward it.

A few honest cautions on silver, because the market has pitfalls. Genuine antique Berber silver is wonderful but increasingly rare, and a lot of "old" pieces are recent reproductions sold as antiques — that is fine if priced as reproductions, frustrating if you overpay for fake age. True sterling silver should ideally carry a hallmark; much tourist "silver" is actually nickel alloy or low-grade. The "amber" and "coral" set into some pieces is frequently resin or dyed bone, so price accordingly and do not pay amber prices for plastic.

My practical guidance: buy silver for character and value, gold only from a licensed, fixed-address jeweller who will discuss weight, karat and hallmarks openly. For antique Berber pieces, buy because you love the object at a price you accept, not because of an unverifiable age claim. A reputable dealer will let you examine hallmarks and answer questions without pressure. And for anything valuable, get a written receipt describing the metal and stones — useful for customs and for your own peace of mind.