18K Gold Price Today
As of —, 18K gold is worth — per gram. That figure comes from the live spot price of — per troy ounce, adjusted for the 75% gold content in 18K.
18K Gold Value by Weight
| Weight | 18K Melt Value |
|---|---|
| 1 gram | — |
| 3 grams (thin band) | — |
| 5 grams (ring) | — |
| 10 grams (bracelet) | — |
| 20 grams (chain) | — |
| 31.1 grams (1 troy oz) | — |
| 50 grams (heavy chain) | — |
| 100 grams (watch bracelet) | — |
Last updated: —
What Pawn Shops Pay for 18K Gold
| Buyer Type | % of Melt | Per Gram |
|---|---|---|
| Low pawn shop offer | 30% | — |
| Typical pawn shop offer | 40% | — |
| Best pawn shop offer | 50% | — |
| Specialist gold buyer | 75% | — |
| Top specialist offer | 80% | — |
Refiners quote more on paper, but they set lot minimums measured in ounces or kilos and charge assay and lot fees, so their rate is out of reach for anyone selling a few pieces.
18K vs Other Karats Per Gram
| Karat | Pure Gold | Stamp | Price Per Gram |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10K | 41.7% | 417 | — |
| 14K | 58.3% | 585 | — |
| 18K | 75.0% | 750 | — |
| 21K | 87.5% | 875 | — |
| 22K | 91.7% | 916 | — |
| 24K | 99.9% | 999 | — |
What 18K Gold Is and What the 750 Stamp Means
18K gold contains 75% pure gold. The remaining 25% is an alloy of copper, silver, or palladium that adds hardness and sets the color. Jewelers stamp 18K pieces with "18K" or "750" inside the band or on the clasp. The number 750 refers to 750 parts gold per 1,000. 18K is the standard karat for fine jewelry across Europe, the Middle East, and much of Asia, and it is the karat luxury houses use for most of their gold pieces. The higher gold content gives 18K a richer, warmer color than 14K, along with a higher per-gram value.
Designer 18K Is Often Worth More Than Melt
Melt value is the floor for any 18K piece, not the ceiling. Signed jewelry from luxury houses and solid gold watches often resell for well above their gold content, sometimes by multiples. Before you scrap a branded 18K piece, get a resale quote from a jewelry buyer or an auction house and compare it against the melt figure above. Scrapping a signed piece at melt is the most expensive mistake an 18K owner can make.
How to Judge an Offer on Your 18K Gold
Weigh your item in grams, multiply by the live per-gram price above, and you have the number every offer should be measured against. 18K carries the highest per-gram value of the common jewelry karats, so the dollar gap between a weak offer and a strong one grows fast with weight. A pawn shop near half of melt is a fast-sale price. A specialist buyer around 80% is a strong offer, and it is the top of the market for scrap. On a 40-gram 18K chain, the gap between those two is worth well over a thousand dollars at current prices, so it pays to get at least three quotes.
Common 18K Item Weights
European wedding bands run 3 to 8 grams. Fine chains range from 5 to 25 grams, with heavy statement chains reaching 50 grams or more. Solid 18K watch cases and bracelets are the heavyweights of the category and can carry 100 grams or more of gold weight between them. Weigh each piece separately if you hold mixed karats, and deduct for stones, since only the gold counts toward melt value.
Run an exact figure with any weight and karat in our gold melt value calculator. Compare every karat side by side on the gold price per gram page. Learn the right way to get the weight in our guide on how to weigh gold at home.