Quick answer
That number is the melt reference, not what a store charges or a buyer pays. Retail 18K jewelry sells well above the melt figure because of design, labor, and markup. When you sell 18K scrap or broken jewelry, pawn shops typically pay 20 to 55 percent of melt, independent jewelers 40 to 70 percent, and bullion-only coin dealers usually decline jewelry altogether. The scrap gold price guide maps payout bands across every karat, not just 18K.
Melt reference in U.S. dollars, 75% of pure gold spot. Updated 16 hours ago. Not a retail quote.
What 18K Gold Actually Is
Eighteen-karat gold is an alloy that contains 75 percent gold by weight and 25 percent other metals. The karat scale tops out at 24K for pure gold, so 18K occupies the top tier for mainstream fine jewelry sold in the United States. The remaining 25 percent is usually a mix of silver, copper, zinc, nickel, or palladium, chosen by the mill or manufacturer to produce yellow, rose, or white tones and to add workable hardness.
Because of that composition, every gram of 18K jewelry contains exactly 0.750 grams of pure gold. That is the only number that matters when you convert jewelry weight into a melt reference. Four grams of 18K equals three grams of pure gold. Twenty grams of 18K equals fifteen grams of pure gold. Multiply that pure-gold weight by the per-gram spot reference and you have your melt figure before any premium, markup, or buyback spread. The math shifts at lower karats; the 14K gold price per gram page shows today’s melt reference at 0.583 purity.
Common 18K hallmarks you can look for on a piece include “750”, “18K”, “18Kt”, “18 karat”, or European stamps that pair “750” with a maker’s mark. If a piece is stamped “GF”, “GP”, “RGP”, or “HGE”, that is gold-filled, gold-plated, or heavy gold electroplate, which contain almost no recoverable gold value. Our guide to telling if your gold is real walks through the stamp vocabulary and at-home testing options.
Today’s 18K Reference Value
The number at the top of this page is the melt reference, calculated from the daily wholesale gold spot in London and New York. One troy ounce of pure gold (24K) prints at $4,183.06 today. Multiply by 0.750 and you get the 18K ounce reference of $3,137.29. Divide the ounce figure by 31.1035 grams for the per-gram figure of $100.87. Divide by 20 for the per-pennyweight figure of $156.86, the unit most U.S. jewelry buyers still use on their counter scales.
This is a wire-transfer wholesale reference between institutional counterparties. No retail store sells 18K at this price, and no local buyer pays this price on scrap. The reference matters because it anchors every quote you receive and every negotiation you enter. Walking into a shop knowing the melt figure for your piece is the single biggest advantage you have as a seller.
For the broader context on how wholesale spot is produced and why it moves day to day, see our daily gold spot reference guide. For a side-by-side on how each karat scales from the pure number, see our gold price per karat table.
What U.S. Buyers Actually Pay for 18K
Retail 18K jewelry sells at multiples of melt. A boutique 18K chain weighing 12 grams holds about $1,210.40 of melt gold today, yet it can retail for two to three times that figure once you account for design, labor, retail overhead, and brand margin. That is normal, and it is why jewelry is a weak sell-back vehicle: you buy at a markup and you sell at a discount, so the round-trip spread is wide.
On the buy-back side, the practical U.S. payout bands look like this today.
| Buyer | Typical offer per gram of 18K | Share of melt value |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn shop | $20.17 to $55.48 | 20% to 55% |
| Local jeweler | $40.35 to $70.61 | 40% to 70% |
| Coin / bullion dealer | Usually declined (jewelry and scrap are not bullion) | |
Those bands are not posted rates. They are the range of offers Americans receive in person after a buyer weighs the piece on a counter scale, applies the 0.750 purity factor, and multiplies by their internal per-gram rate. A buyer paying 70 percent of melt and a buyer paying 25 percent of melt are both using the same math; only the discount percentage changes. Written offers, in writing, from more than one buyer in your area are how you close that gap. The same logic holds at any karat; 10K gold price per gram shows how those bands look on a lower-purity piece.
Live 18K Scrap and Jewelry Value Calculator
Weigh your piece on a kitchen scale (gram mode) or your jeweler’s pennyweight scale, enter the weight, and the calculator applies today’s per-gram reference, the 18K purity factor, and typical buyer payout bands. The output is a melt figure plus a realistic payout range before you walk into a shop.
Describe your gold
What your gold would be worth if it were 100% pure at today's spot price. Reality is below because pure 24k gold is rare in jewelry.
Spot value of the gold metal in your item (weight x purity x spot). This is the absolute melt floor before any buyer margin.
Because you marked karat as unknown, this shows the realistic range from 10k (low) to 24k pure (high). Determine the karat to narrow this down.
Your position is in the green vs. what you paid. Today's melt value alone covers your cost basis. Premium buyers (bullion dealers, recognized brands) typically pay slightly above melt for bullion.
Your position is below your cost basis at today's spot. Gold spot moves, so this is a snapshot. If you bought during a premium spike, the loss can shrink when premiums normalize.
Already got an offer? Check if it is fair (optional)
Enter the offer a pawn shop, jeweler, or dealer has given you. We will tell you in 1 second whether it is fair, low for the channel, or a walk-away lowball.
Disclaimers & sources
Educational only. This calculator is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult a CPA or attorney before any major sale or rollover.
Heads up: Sales of certain bullion (25+ oz gold bars, 25+ Krugerrands or Maples) trigger a dealer-issued Form 1099-B. Gains are taxed as 28% collectibles rate, not long-term capital gains. See IRS Pub 544.
State law notice. California, New York, Florida, and Texas (and others) require precious metals dealers to register and observe holding periods (CA 30 days, FL 15 days). Verify a dealer's state license before mailing items.
Sources. Channel payout ranges reflecting published pawn-industry payout data, refiner and dealer rate cards, and published dealer buy-back prices (APMEX, JM Bullion, SD Bullion) (retrieved Mar to May 2026). Updated quarterly.
How we make money. None of the buyer types compared here pay Goldiew. The calculator math and the payout ranges are never adjusted for commercial reasons.
Next steps Pick your next move
Not sure it is real gold yet? Run our 5 free home tests (magnet, hallmark, ceramic, density, acid) before you sell.
Saving keeps your weight, karat, and any offer on this device, so your numbers are ready the next time you open this page. Nothing leaves your browser.
How this calculator works
Where the spot price comes from
Spot gold is pulled from goldapi.io, which references COMEX (the US futures market that sets the global gold benchmark). The current spot is shown at the top of this calculator with a freshness timestamp so you always know how recent the price is. Spot is refreshed at least once a day; intraday moves of less than 1% rarely change the verdict materially for jewelry-scale sums.
Why we show a range, not an exact price
Every buyer adds a margin. Refiners deduct 0.5 to 2% as melt loss (gold lost in slag and oxidation) plus a fixed assay fee. Major US refiners (Garfield, Manhattan Gold, PMR) settle in 5 to 10 business days, not 3 to 6 weeks. On top of this, the buyer adds their own margin for overhead, inventory turn, and dealer risk. Pawn shops, local jewelers, and bullion dealers each have typical margin ranges based on industry-reported documentation. The numbers here reflect those ranges, not promises.
What this calculator estimates
Strictly melt value – the value of the gold metal alone. It does not account for: numismatic premium (rare or collectible coins), brand premium on bullion (some recognized brands trade slightly higher), gemstone or enamel weight on jewelry (subtract roughly 5 to 10% from your total weight), or wearable jewelry resale (driven by design and brand, not metal).
For karat = unknown
The output shows a range from 10k (low) to 24k pure (high). A jeweler can confirm karat in 30 seconds with a free acid or electronic test. We recommend doing this before accepting any offer over $500.
Academic source for allocation guidance
For the role of gold in portfolio construction, see Erb & Harvey (2013), "The Golden Dilemma", Financial Analysts Journal 69(4): 10-42. This Duke University CFA-Institute peer-reviewed paper provides the empirical basis for the 3 to 7% suggested gold allocation range used in our tier guidance for high-value bullion holdings.
Your inputs stay in your browser. We never store the weight, karat, buy price, or offer values you type. Privacy policy · Your Privacy Choices (CCPA).
Full-feature version with every karat, dwt and troy-ounce conversions, and side-by-side buyer scenarios lives at the gold value calculator. The per-gram page with every karat tabled side by side sits at the gold price per gram guide.
Worked Examples: 5g, 12g, and 20g of 18K
Three common weights cover most jewelry-scrap conversations. A light pendant or thin stackable ring lands around five grams. A mid-weight bracelet or signet ring runs about twelve grams. A substantial chain or wide link bracelet reaches twenty grams. The melt math is the same in each case: multiply the gram weight by 0.750, then by the per-gram spot reference.
5 grams of 18K
Melt reference today: $504.33
That is a typical pendant, a thin wedding band, or a small stackable ring. At scrap, pawn-shop offers land roughly between $100.87 and $277.38; jeweler offers land roughly between $201.73 and $353.03.
12 grams of 18K
Melt reference today: $1,210.40
A mid-weight tennis bracelet, a signet ring, or a modest necklace. Pawn-shop offers typically run $242.08 to $665.72. Independent jewelers typically run $484.16 to $847.28.
20 grams of 18K
Melt reference today: $2,017.33
A heavier chain, a wide cuff bracelet, or a large pendant. Pawn-shop offers typically run $403.47 to $1,109.53. Independent jewelers typically run $806.93 to $1,412.13. The spread between the lowest and highest offer at this weight is usually where the biggest absolute dollar gains show up.
If your piece has a maker’s mark, a documented appraisal, or a recognizable brand attribution, the retail resale value can exceed melt. That is a different market than scrap, and it rewards patience and the right venue. Our value calculator lets you toggle between scrap and resale modes.
30-Day 18K Price History
Spot moves daily. The table below shows the per-gram 18K reference for each of the past 30 trading days, so you can see whether today’s figure sits near the recent high, near the recent low, or in the middle of the range. Over the last 30 days, 18K per gram traded between a low of $99.37 and a high of $105.80, with a net 30-day change of -4.7%.
| Date | Spot per troy oz | 18K per gram |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 19, 2026 | $4,183.06 | $100.87 |
| Oct 18, 2026 | $4,166.13 | $100.46 |
| Oct 17, 2026 | $4,166.13 | $100.46 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | $4,173.00 | $100.62 |
| Oct 15, 2026 | $4,132.18 | $99.64 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | $4,154.67 | $100.18 |
| Oct 13, 2026 | $4,191.72 | $101.08 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $4,183.83 | $100.88 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | $4,194.35 | $101.14 |
| Oct 10, 2026 | $4,194.35 | $101.14 |
| Oct 9, 2026 | $4,194.32 | $101.14 |
| Oct 8, 2026 | $4,121.22 | $99.38 |
| Oct 7, 2026 | $4,132.40 | $99.64 |
| Oct 6, 2026 | $4,120.93 | $99.37 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $4,146.48 | $99.98 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | $4,142.33 | $99.88 |
| Oct 3, 2026 | $4,142.33 | $99.88 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | $4,193.63 | $101.12 |
| Oct 1, 2026 | $4,191.00 | $101.06 |
| Sep 30, 2026 | $4,181.80 | $100.84 |
| Sep 29, 2026 | $4,144.23 | $99.93 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $4,179.25 | $100.77 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | $4,284.68 | $103.32 |
| Sep 26, 2026 | $4,284.68 | $103.32 |
| Sep 25, 2026 | $4,268.23 | $102.92 |
| Sep 24, 2026 | $4,286.08 | $103.35 |
| Sep 23, 2026 | $4,286.79 | $103.37 |
| Sep 20, 2026 | $4,378.80 | $105.59 |
| Sep 19, 2026 | $4,378.80 | $105.59 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | $4,387.58 | $105.80 |
Short-term direction is not a reliable guide to the next 30 days. The daily reference reflects wholesale wire trades between institutions and does not forecast future prices. If you are deciding whether to sell now or later, the practical question is whether the current offer in your area clears your threshold today, not whether you can time a peak.
Finding an 18K Buyer in Your Area
Four buyer types will quote on 18K scrap or jewelry in the United States. Each one serves a different customer and pays at a different point on the melt curve.
Local coin dealers
Bullion-focused coin dealers primarily buy sovereign coins and recognized-brand bars. Many will decline jewelry outright, and the ones that do accept it pay closer to pawn-shop rates on scrap. Browse verified U.S. shops in the Goldiew coin dealer directory.
Pawn shops
Pawn shops accept almost any 18K piece and offer either a sale price or a loan collateralized by the item. Pay rates are posted internally and skew toward the lower band because pawn shops carry inventory risk. Browse verified U.S. pawn shops in the Goldiew pawn shop directory.
Independent jewelers
Independent neighborhood jewelers tend to pay closer to melt because they can resell the piece at retail or refine it themselves. Expect better offers on pieces with workable design or mountable stones. Browse verified U.S. jewelers in the Goldiew jewelry store directory.
Sealed-offer requests
Instead of driving to three shops for three verbal quotes, post one free selling request on Goldiew Sell Gold. Up to 15 verified U.S. buyers see the item, submit written offers, and you choose the one you want. Recent listings and completed sales appear in the Goldiew marketplace.
Before you accept any offer, bring the melt figure with you. Three written offers in the same week beat one verbal quote on the day. The person who leaves money on the table is usually the person who did not know their melt number before the counter weighed the piece.
Understanding 18K Gold and Its Price
Price per gram is the sharpest tool for comparing jewelry offers, but it only makes sense once the karat purity factor is applied. Three closely related references help you work from any starting point.
- The karat system explains why 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, and 24K each contain different fractions of pure gold and how that affects both durability and resale.
- Is your gold real walks through hallmark reading, magnet tests, acid tests, and the role of an electronic tester or jeweler verification.
- The gold price per karat page lists all common karats side by side at today’s spot, so you can see 10K, 14K, 18K, and 22K in one view.
- The broader gold price per gram guide covers unit math, pennyweight conversions, and the per-gram figure for pure 24K before purity adjustment.
- Our gold value calculator runs the melt math for any weight, any karat, and any buyer scenario in a single screen.
Together these cover the full chain from stamp verification to final payout range. Working through them in order (verify the piece, apply the karat purity, compute the melt, check the payout band) prevents most of the surprises that drive sellers to accept an offer well under their realistic range.
Skip the three-store trip and get written offers
If you have 18K scrap, broken chains, or a piece you no longer wear, you do not have to spend a Saturday driving between shops for verbal quotes. Post one free selling request on Goldiew Sell Gold. Up to 15 verified U.S. buyers see the piece, each submits a sealed written offer within a short window, and you keep the one you want and decline the rest. Nobody but your chosen buyer learns who you are. Before deciding, browse recent completed sales and open listings in the Goldiew marketplace to see what pieces at your weight and karat have cleared this month.
18K Gold Price FAQ
Why is 18K gold cheaper per gram than 24K?
Because 18K is 75 percent gold by weight. The other 25 percent is a mix of alloy metals (silver, copper, zinc, nickel, or palladium) that have minimal recovery value in the scrap market. A per-gram 18K quote is a per-gram 24K quote multiplied by 0.750. If 24K is $134.49 today, 18K is $100.87, which is exactly 75% of the pure figure.
Does 18K gold tarnish or lose value over time?
Pure gold does not tarnish, but the 25 percent alloy content in 18K can discolor slightly over years of skin contact and household chemical exposure. That cosmetic effect does not change the melt value, which is driven by the pure gold content and today’s spot reference. A tarnished or scuffed 18K piece melts for the same figure as a polished one, assuming the stamp is accurate and the weight is honest. Silver pieces tarnish the same way but follow a different spot price; see silver price per gram and per ounce for that melt math.
How do I calculate the melt value of a 10-gram 18K ring?
Multiply 10 grams by 0.750 to get 7.5 grams of pure gold. Multiply that by today’s per-gram 24K reference of $134.49. The result is your melt reference. Our value calculator runs that math for you and adds realistic payout bands for pawn shops, independent jewelers, and online or bullion-house channels where applicable.
Is 18K gold worth selling right now?
This page is a reference for current market value, not timing advice. Short-term direction cannot be reliably predicted. The practical question is whether the best offer in your area today clears your personal threshold. Three written offers in the same week give you the best read on whether you are getting a fair number; the 30-day high and low above show the recent range.
Why does a jewelry buyer quote per pennyweight instead of per gram?
Pennyweight (dwt) is the traditional U.S. jewelry-trade unit. One pennyweight is 1.5552 grams, or 1/20 of a troy ounce. Older jewelers often quote in dwt from habit; younger ones more often use grams. The number itself is the same metal; the unit is just different. If a buyer refuses to show the conversion between dwt and grams, ask them to walk you through it or move on.
Can I negotiate the per-gram rate a buyer offers?
Yes, within limits. The buyer’s internal rate is set by their refiner spread, their inventory risk, and their business model, so a pawn shop cannot match a bullion-house rate. But two independent jewelers in the same ZIP code often sit 10 to 25 percent apart on the same piece. A clean written offer from one jeweler is a legitimate negotiating tool at the next shop. Verbal quotes rarely move the number.
Do coin dealers buy 18K jewelry?
Most bullion-focused coin dealers decline jewelry, especially pieces with stones, enamel, or mixed metals. Their business runs on sovereign coins and recognized-brand bars where assay is standardized. Some full-service shops will buy heavier scrap at close-to-pawn rates. If you have 18K jewelry, independent jewelers and pawn shops are the usual counter buyers.
What if my 18K piece is also a collectible or signed?
A signed piece from a recognized house (think estate signatures with provenance) can resell well above melt in the right venue. That requires a specialist auction house, a documented appraisal, and patience. For plain scrap or broken 18K, the melt reference above is the governing number. Our value calculator has a resale toggle for that distinction.
Sources and Methodology
Melt figures on this page are derived from the daily wholesale gold spot reference multiplied by the 0.750 purity factor for 18K. Unit conventions, karat definitions, and historical context cite the following primary sources:
- LBMA Gold Price. Daily London auction reference, twice per business day, administered by ICE Benchmark Administration.
- CME Group COMEX Gold Futures. Contract specifications for the 100 troy ounce futures contract (symbol GC).
- FRED Series GOLDAMGBD228NLBM, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Public archive of daily LBMA PM Fix data back to 1968.
- World Gold Council, Gold Demand Trends. Quarterly reports on jewelry, central bank buying, and industrial demand.
- FTC Jewelry Guides (16 CFR Part 23). Federal rules on jewelry marking, karat disclosure, and advertising claims in the United States.
- FTC Jewelry Shopping Tips. Consumer guidance on karat marks and buying from reputable sellers.
Reference prices are wholesale melt; they are not retail buy or sell quotes. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. This page is informational and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice.