I am sure you would know that gold is a malleable metal and breaks when hammered. Therefore gold is mixed with other metals (like silver, copper, zinc etc) to create an alloy from which jewelry is then made. Karats is a unit to measure the purity of gold (or ratio) in that alloy. This ratio, which is known as hallmark in jewelry parlance, is then stamped on the jewelry.
Generally there are 2 ways to communicate this ratio –
- Karats, which measures the purity per 24 parts whole. This notation contains 2 digits followed by ‘k’ or ‘kt’. For example 14k
- Purity per Thousand parts. This notation contains 3 digits. For example 750 or 585
While karats notation is most commonly used in Asia, per thousand notation is more prevalent in European countries. In the USA, both karats and per thousand notations are used, however karat will be a more prevalent one.
If you see a 750 gold stamp on your jewelry, it means that it contains 75% pure gold (or 18k gold) in the alloy.
Standard Hallmarks on Gold Jewelry
The stamp which conveys the fineness of gold is also known as hallmark. There are certain standard hallmarks for gold jewelry which is common around the world. These are –
- 916 or .916 or 22k
- 750 or .750 or 18k
- 585 or .585 or 14k
- 500 or .500 or 12k
- 417 or .417 or 10k
750 is a standard hallmark and corresponds to 18k gold jewelry.
Oftentimes, along with purity, the manufacturer’s country is also stamped on jewelry items. Therefore if you find a 750 Italy stamp, it just means that the jewelry was made in Italy and is 75% pure gold.
Things to Watch Out When Checking for 750 Stamp
Sometimes, there are other letters that you will see alongside 750 gold stamp. Some of these are –
- 750 GP/GEP: ‘GP’ stands for Gold Plating. ‘GEP’ stands for Gold Electroplating
- 750 GF: ‘GF’ stands for Gold Filled
If you see any of the above 2 stamps on your jewelry, it means that it is not made out of real gold and contains only a layer of gold which is 75% pure or 18k.
Gold plating (or Gold Electroplating) means covering the underlying base metal with a thin layer of gold that might be 75% pure and hence 750 GP or 750 GEP hallmark.
If a jewelry is GP stamped, it means that the jewelry contains a thick layer of gold (thicker than gold plating) on the base metal but the base metal is still not gold. I have covered gold plating and gold filling in detail here.
Therefore be cautious of these markings on your jewelry. If you are buying any jewelry that is GP or GF hallmarked, you are not buying gold.
Is 750 Gold Real?
750 gold is one of the purest and priciest gold alloy from which jewelry is made.
In-fact, except for Asia where 22k or 91.6% jewelry is more prevalent, 750 gold is most commonly used whenever high end jewelry is made.
Different Colors of 750 Gold
As mentioned above, gold is mixed with other metals to provide durability and strength. And then jewelry is made out of that alloy. Now depending on the kind of metal (and in what proportions) that is mixed with gold, one gets different colors.
- If copper is mixed predominantly in alloy, you will get rose gold
- If all other metals (like copper, silver, zinc) are mixed in equal proportions then the color will be yellow.
- If silver or palladium is mixed in a larger ratio, you will get white gold.
| Color | Gold | Silver/Palladium | Copper |
| Yellow | 75% | 15% | 10% |
| White | 75% | 25% | |
| Rose | 75% | 9.75% | 22.25% |
Please note that these are tentative ratios. Other metals like nickel or zinc might also be added in the alloy.
Is 750 Gold Hypoallergenic?
750 Yellow gold is hypoallergenic and so is 750 rose gold.
However 750 white gold might not be truly hypoallergenic since it might contain a small quantity of zinc in the alloy.
Is 750 Gold Pawnable?
Since 750 gold is real gold, you can pawn your jewelry at any nearby jeweler without any trouble.
Generally jewelers buy old jewelry at scrap value i.e. they will melt the jewelry and then reuse the gold afresh. In such a case, your jewelry will be valued at 75% of the pure gold price on that day.
For example, if your 750 gold ring is 10 grams and gold rate is $53 per gram, then you can pawn your ring at $397.5.
Should You Buy 750 Gold Stamped Jewelry?
After developing an understanding about what 750 mean on jewelry, now the big question is-
Should you go ahead and buy that 18k or 750 gold ring?
My recommendation is a big Yes! A 18k gold ring is made from one of the purest gold alloys with a very high quantity of gold. So you know that you are indeed buying solid gold. On top of that you can choose from 3 different color options (yellow, rose or white) depending on your preference.
