What 18K gold is worth and how dealers price it
18K is 75% gold, the standard of choice for luxury houses and most engagement rings in Southern Europe. It balances a warm colour with enough hardness for secure stone settings.
Look for the hallmark 750 or 18K. 18K is typical of Italian, French and designer fine jewellery. 18K comes in yellow, white and rose versions. White 18K is usually rhodium plated; the plating has no scrap value but does not reduce the gold content either.
Dealers weigh the piece, deduct stones and non-gold parts, and multiply the net weight by 0.75 to get the fine gold content. They then multiply by the USD spot price per gram and apply their payout percentage — usually 60–75% of melt at shops and pawnbrokers, 80–90% at specialist buyers.
Worked example: a 6 g 18K engagement ring (stone removed) holds 4.50 g of fine gold. Enter 6 g and 18K in the calculator above to see its live melt value in USD. Signed pieces from Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany or Van Cleef resell well above melt value, so get them appraised before accepting a scrap price.
In the US, cash-for-gold shops are regulated at state level and many require ID and a short holding period. Dollar spot prices are the global benchmark, so USD quotes react first when the market moves.
Developers can pull the same figure programmatically: 18K gold price per gram API.