A gold loan is a secured loan category when you keep your gold ornaments or coins as a collateral to borrow money from a lender. The lender offers lower interest rates due to the collateral or security against this loan. The amount sanctioned as the loan is generally a certain percentage of the total cost of the gold's market value. Once you repay the entire loan on time with interest, the gold is returned in the same state as you first deposited them at the time of taking the loan. Gold loans are generally offered for a fixed period of 6 months to 12 months.