18K Gold Price Calculator — 750 Fineness Melt Value

18K gold is 75% pure gold (18 parts out of 24), alloyed with 25% other metals — typically copper and silver for yellow gold, palladium or nickel for white gold, more copper for rose gold. Stamps: 18K, 750, or 0.750.

18K is the European luxury standard. The major maisons — Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co.'s high jewelry line — work almost exclusively in 18K. In Italy and France, anything sold as "fine jewelry" is expected to be 18K minimum; 14K reads as a mid-tier American compromise.

The reasons 18K dominates luxury:

• Color depth: 75% gold content produces a visibly richer, warmer yellow than 14K. The difference is immediately apparent side-by-side.
• Hypoallergenic when made with palladium-white alloys: No nickel, no skin reactions.
• Resale floor: Higher intrinsic gold content means higher melt value and easier resale.

For most US buyers, 14K is the better practical choice; 18K is the right answer when color, brand prestige, or resale value matters more than durability.

Choose 18K if:

• You're buying from a luxury European brand and want the authentic alloy.
• The piece is occasion or dressy wear, not everyday abuse.
• You want noticeably richer color (especially in rose gold).
• Resale value or future melt-down matters.
• You have nickel sensitivity (assuming palladium-alloy white gold).

Choose 14K instead if:

• The piece will be worn 24/7 (engagement ring, wedding band, daily chain).
• It has prongs holding stones — 18K prongs bend more easily and need more frequent retipping.
• You're price-sensitive (18K runs ~25–35% more than 14K for the same design).

Hardness: 18K (Vickers ~110 HV) is softer than 14K (~135 HV) — visible scratches develop faster. Plan for a polish every 1–2 years.

Use this formula:

Example: A 10g 18K wedding band at a gold spot price of $4,200/oz works out to:

• Spot per gram: $4,200 ÷ 31.1035 = $135.03/g
• Pure gold in the ring: 10g × 0.750 = 7.5g
• Melt value: 7.5g × $135.03 = $1,012.73

What a refiner will actually pay: Most scrap dealers pay 80–95% of melt value for 18K (better than the 70–85% they pay for 10K, because there's more gold to recover per gram processed). The 10g ring above would fetch roughly $810–960 in scrap, depending on the dealer.

Use our calculator above to get the current melt value at live spot prices.