18K Gold Price per Gram Today

Pricing 18K against the spot price

18K gold is priced at three-quarters of the pure gold price for the same weight, because 18 of its 24 parts are gold. If you know the spot price per gram, multiply by 0.75; that is the melt value of a gram of 18K before any dealer margin.

That clean fraction makes 18K the easiest karat to check in your head. At an example spot of $3,000 per troy ounce, 18K alloy is worth $2,250 per troy ounce, $112.50 per pennyweight and about $72.34 per gram. To get real numbers, scale those figures by the live gold price divided by 3,000.

“18k gold exchange rate” and “750 gold price”

Both phrases are searched often, and both usually mean the same thing as the 18K price per gram. “Exchange rate” is how buyers in many countries describe the daily gold rate in their own currency. 750 is simply the European fineness mark for 18 karat: 750 parts gold per thousand.

Compared with 14K, a gram of 18K holds about 29% more gold, a point the 14K gold price page covers from the other direction.

What fills the other quarter: 18K yellow, white, rose and green

The 25% that isn’t gold decides the color, hardness and wear of an 18K piece. It does not change the melt value, since a buyer pays for the 75% of gold and nothing for the rest. That is why 18K white, 18K rose and 18K yellow are worth the same per gram.

18K white gold

“18k white gold price” is one of the most searched variations. Per gram it matches 18K yellow. The difference is in the finish: most white gold is plated with rhodium, a metal that adds brightness but no value for a scrap buyer. The white gold price page explains nickel versus palladium alloys and how to tell white gold from platinum.

18K rose gold

Rose and red 18K get their color from copper. The more copper and the less silver, the redder the metal, and the harder it becomes. Details on shades and karats sit on the rose gold price page.

Whatever the color, 18K is the highest karat that stays practical for rings with prongs and thin settings. Above it, 21K and 22K are soft enough that settings loosen and bands dent more easily.

Italian, British and Swiss 750 marks

18K is the standard for much of European fine jewelry, so many 18K pieces in American hands were made in Italy, Britain, Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe. Their marks follow local rules, and reading them helps confirm what you have.

Decoding an Italian 750 stamp

Italian gold usually carries “750” together with a registration mark: a small five-pointed star, a number and a province abbreviation, all in one outline. The number identifies the registered maker; the letters identify the province where that maker is registered.

Province codes you’ll meet most often

• AR: Arezzo, a major center for machine-made chains.
• VI: Vicenza, another large chain and jewelry-making hub.
• AL: Alessandria, the province that includes Valenza, known for fine jewelry.
• MI and RM: Milan and Rome.

Searches for “18k italian gold price per gram” have the same answer as any other 18K: 75% of the pure gold price. The Italian origin adds design value in retail but nothing at the refiner.

British hallmarks

In the UK, 18K is hallmarked with “750” plus the mark of the assay office that tested it, such as the leopard’s head for London, the anchor for Birmingham, the rose for Sheffield or the castle for Edinburgh, and a sponsor’s mark for the maker. A full British hallmark is independent third-party testing, which is more than a U.S. maker’s stamp represents.

Swiss watch cases

Swiss 18K watch cases carry 750 along with official Swiss control marks. Because hallmarking there is run by a federal control office, the marks are a reliable sign that the case was tested. For pricing gold across the Atlantic in euros, see the gold price in Europe.

Watches and heavy bracelets: separating 18K from everything else

An 18K watch or bracelet is where melt math most often goes wrong. The total weight includes plenty of material that isn’t gold, and a buyer will take all of it out.

1. Weigh the whole item, then subtract the movement, crystal, dial and steel parts. On a gold watch, the case, crown and bracelet are usually the only 18K parts.
2. Check the bracelet clasp. Some gold watches have a gold bracelet with a steel or plated clasp, or a leather strap with only the buckle in gold.
3. Look for hollow links. Many bracelets are hollow to cut weight, so a thick bracelet may carry far fewer grams than it seems.
4. Multiply the net 18K weight by 0.75 to get grams of pure gold, then by the per-gram price.

Worked example: an 18K case and bracelet that weigh 25 grams net of the movement and crystal contain 18.75 grams of pure gold. At an example price of $3,000 per ounce that is about $1,808 in melt value.

Melt is a floor, not the value of a working watch. A running, branded 18K watch often sells as a watch for more than its gold content, so get a watch dealer’s opinion before accepting a scrap price. The same applies to signed jewelry from well-known houses, where the name adds resale value that a melt quote ignores.

Mistakes people make when valuing 18K

• Pricing the gross weight of a watch. Movements, crystals and steel parts can make up a large share of the weight, and none of it is paid for as gold.
• Confusing 18K with 18K gold-plated or gold-filled. Marks such as 18K GP, 18K GE or 18K HGE mean a thin coating, and the piece has almost no melt value.
• Assuming white 18K is worth less than yellow. The rhodium plating on white gold is cosmetic; the gold content is identical.
• Accepting a 14K price for 18K. Some buyers test quickly and round down. Ask which karat the offer assumes and check it against the stamp.
• Forgetting that stones come out. Diamonds may have separate resale value, but a scrap buyer pays only for the metal once they’re removed.

Why 18K is softer, and why that matters when you sell

With only a quarter of the alloy left for hardening metals, 18K scratches, dents and wears thin faster than 14K. Old 18K wedding bands are often noticeably thinner at the palm side than when they were made. That lost metal is gone for good, so a worn band weighs less than its original catalog weight, and the scale, not the receipt, sets its melt value.