750 Gold (18 Karat) — Price per Gram Today

750 parts gold per 1,000 — exactly three quarters, or 18 karat. The remaining 250 parts determine colour and behaviour. Classic yellow gold uses 12.5 % each of silver and copper. Red gold shifts the ratio toward copper; white gold replaces it with palladium or, in cheaper alloys, nickel.

These colour variants are standardised in DIN EN ISO 8654. They make no difference to price: yellow, red or white, the gold content stays 75 %, and that is what a buyer pays for. A palladium white gold ring may have cost more to make but fetches the same intrinsic value as a yellow gold ring of equal weight.

At roughly 150 HV and a density near 15.5 g/cm³, 750 hits the point where a piece survives daily wear, settings hold stones securely, and the gold tone remains unmistakably rich. Hence its use from Cartier to Wempe.

One practical note on white gold: almost all 750 white gold jewellery is rhodium-plated to mask the natural greyish cast. That layer wears through in two to five years and needs renewing. This is normal, not a defect.

Wedding and engagement rings. The German standard in the premium segment. Hardness suffices for decades of daily wear without engravings fading or stones loosening.

Watch cases. Rolex, Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Söhne and effectively every manufacture uses 750 for gold cases. A case can weigh 30 to over 100 grams — a meaningful melt value, but almost always far below the watch's market value. Never sell a branded watch as scrap.

Designer jewellery. Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany and German houses work in 750. Intact, identifiable pieces with certificates regularly exceed intrinsic value by a wide margin.

Southern European jewellery. In Italy, Spain and France, 750 is standard even for everyday pieces — unlike Germany, where 585 dominates. Inherited items from those countries are frequently 18 karat.

At a jeweller you pay intrinsic value plus workmanship plus 19 % VAT. On simple pieces the metal share of the retail price is often 30–50 %; on designer items considerably less. That is not a rip-off — it is design, manufacturing, retail and warranty — but it explains why jewellery works poorly as an investment.

On the second-hand market the VAT burden largely disappears where the dealer applies the margin scheme under § 25a UStG. Well-kept pre-owned pieces are therefore often the economically sensible entry if you want the object rather than the box.

Check at purchase: a 750 mark present, weight in grams on the invoice, rhodium plating noted for white gold, and separate certificates for stones. You will need these later for insurance and resale.

The buyer calculates weight × 0.750 × fine gold rate, less refining charges. Reputable German buyers pay 88–95 % of that intrinsic value. The spread covers refining, melt loss and margin.

Before any melt sale, check whether the piece is worth more as jewellery. Branded, designer and antique items and anything with meaningful stones do not belong in a crucible. A Cartier bangle with €40 grams of metal value can be worth a multiple as jewellery.

Stones, pearls and springs are removed or deducted. Reputable buyers return diamonds or value them separately — agree in writing beforehand how they will be handled.

For white gold, the rhodium layer is irrelevant to valuation. What counts is gold content, and in 750 white gold that is likewise 75 %.

The mark. Usually 750, 18K or 18kt, on the ring interior, chain clasp or catch. German law makes hallmarking voluntary, so a missing mark does not mean a piece is fake.

X-ray fluorescence. The buyer's standard: non-destructive, instant, precise on solid material. On plated pieces it reads only the coating, so a spot is filed as well.

Acid streak test. Test acids for 333, 585, 750 and 900 indicate approximate fineness by dissolution speed. Colour judgement is harder on white gold but the method still works.

Magnet test. Gold, silver, copper and palladium are non-magnetic. A piece that clings to a neodymium magnet contains meaningful iron or nickel — a clear warning on supposed 750 gold. The converse proves nothing.