750
18-carat gold · 75% pure
750 means 18-carat gold: 75% pure gold, with the other 25% a mix of metals such as copper, silver and palladium. It's the world's most common fine-jewellery gold — struck as “750”, “18K” or “18ct” — and the balance most countries treat as the benchmark for quality gold. That 25% of alloy is what gives the metal its strength, and its colour, from yellow to white to rose.
Hallmark Translator
Translate a purity you know into how any country marks it — gold, silver, platinum, palladium — or compare two countries side by side.
Why 75%?
Pure gold — 24-carat, 999 — is too soft for most jewellery: it scratches, bends and wears down with daily use. Alloying it with a quarter of harder metals gives 18-carat gold the strength to be worn and set with stones, while keeping it three-quarters pure — high enough to stay rich in colour and to resist tarnish.
That 25% also decides the colour. Copper pulls the gold towards rose; silver and palladium (or nickel) towards white; a balance of the two keeps it classic yellow. So two pieces stamped 750 can look completely different and both be correct — the number is the purity, not the hue.
18-carat is the point much of the world settles on as “fine gold”: pure enough to be a serious precious-metal purchase, hard enough to last a lifetime. It is the default for engagement rings and quality jewellery across Europe, and a common export standard well beyond it.
Alloy 75% gold · 25% copper, silver, palladium or nickel (the mix sets the colour)
And the standards around it
- 75018-carat
- 75% — the global benchmark for fine jewellery.
How 14 countries strike 750
The number means the same metal everywhere — but every country marks it differently. Some strike a national emblem beside it; others, like the United States, mark it in type alone. Tap a country for its full system.
Independent assay
Mandatory maker's mark
What people actually ask
Is 750 the same as 18K?
Yes — two ways of writing the same purity. 750 is the millesimal (75% pure); 18K is the carat (18 parts gold in 24, which is also 75%). Some countries stamp the number, others the carat, and a few stamp both.
Is 750 real gold?
Yes. 750 is solid 18-carat gold — 75% pure gold by weight, alloyed with other metals for strength. It isn't gold-plated or gold-filled; the gold runs all the way through. It is one of the highest purities used for everyday jewellery.
Is 18K or 14K gold better?
Neither is simply better — it's a trade-off. 18K (750) is purer, with a richer colour and higher value; 14K (585) carries more alloy, so it's harder, more scratch-resistant and cheaper. 18K is the European and luxury default; 14K is the US everyday standard.
Does 18-carat gold tarnish or fade?
Barely. At 75% pure, 18K gold resists tarnish and holds its colour far better than lower grades. White gold can look less white over time as its rhodium plating wears — but that's the plating, not the gold, and it can be re-plated.
Why do two pieces both stamped 750 look like different colours?
Because the 25% alloy sets the colour, not the gold. Copper makes rose gold; silver and palladium make white or green gold; a copper-and-silver mix makes classic yellow — all of them exactly 75% gold, all correctly stamped 750.
What is 18K gold worth?
It carries real gold value: 75% of its weight is pure gold, so its melt value tracks the gold price at three-quarters of the weight. A finished piece is usually worth more than its melt value for the craftsmanship and brand.
A reference guide, not an authentication service. The same number can appear on different metals, and the mark beside it varies by country, date and maker — consult the relevant assay office or standards body for definitive identification.