TL;DR A 750 stamp means 75% pure metal, or 750 parts per thousand. On rings, chains, earrings and watch cases it almost always means 18 karat gold, because 18 of 24 karats is 75%. 750 silver is rare, found on Austro-Hungarian and early Russian silverware and almost never on jewelry. Colour, weight and nearby marks settle it.
A 750 stamp gives purity only: 750 parts of pure metal in every 1,000. The number itself does not name the metal, so the same three digits sit on an Italian gold chain and, far less often, on a 19th-century Austrian silver spoon. On jewelry, read 750 as 18 karat gold until the piece gives you a reason to think otherwise.
Is 750 metal gold or silver?
On jewelry, 750 metal is nearly always 18 karat gold. Gold is the precious metal routinely sold at 75% purity, since 18 divided by 24 is 0.75. Silver at 750 was a legal standard only in a few places, mainly Austria-Hungary and 18th-century Russia, so 750 silver usually turns up on antique spoons and holloware, not on rings.
Use this table as a first pass. It reads the evidence you can see without a loupe or a lab.
| What you see | Most likely metal |
|---|---|
| 750 on a ring, chain, clasp or watch case in yellow or rose metal | 18 karat gold |
| 750 beside "18K", "18KT", "K18" or "AU" | 18 karat gold |
| 750 beside a star with a number and a province code such as AR or VI (Italy) | 18 karat gold |
| 750 beside an eagle's head (France) | 18 karat gold |
| 750 beside a leopard's head, anchor, rose or castle (UK assay office) | 18 karat gold |
| 750 beside "GP", "GF", "HGE", "RGP" or the word "plated" | Gold plate or gold filled over another metal |
| 750 and 925 on the same piece | Sterling silver, usually with a gold layer |
| White metal that tarnishes, with a Diana head and the numeral 4 | 750 silver, Austria-Hungary, 1872 to 1922 |
| White metal with no other marks | Could be white gold or silver; test it |
What does a 750 stamp mean on jewelry?
On jewelry a 750 stamp means 18 karat gold: 75% pure gold, with the other 25% an alloy of metals such as silver, copper, zinc or palladium. That alloy sets the colour, so 750 gold can be yellow, rose or white. The karat system divides gold into 24 parts, and the millesimal number is the same fraction written per thousand.
| Millesimal stamp | Karat | Pure gold |
|---|---|---|
| 375 | 9k | 37.5% |
| 585 | 14k | 58.5% |
| 750 | 18k | 75.0% |
| 916 | 22k | 91.6% |
| 999 | 24k | 99.9% |
These are the gold standards in UK hallmarking law, which also allows 990. A 750 white gold ring is normally plated with rhodium, which is why it looks brighter than silver and never turns black. For the 22 karat number, see the 916 stamp guide .
Why is 750 so common on Italian jewelry?
750 is common on Italian jewelry because Italy makes much of the world's 18 karat gold chain and jewelry, and Italian law requires a fineness number and a maker's identification mark on it. A chain stamped 750 beside a five-pointed star, a registration number and a province code is Italian 18 karat gold.
The province code in the star mark has two letters, for example AR for Arezzo or VI for Vicenza.
Searches for "750 Italy silver" usually come from this mark. Italy's common silver standards are 800 and 925, so an Italian piece stamped 750 is gold, not silver.
Which hallmarks appear next to 750 gold?
The hallmarks beside 750 gold tell you who tested it. A British hallmark pairs 750 with a sponsor's mark and an assay office mark: leopard's head for London, anchor for Birmingham, rose for Sheffield, castle for Edinburgh. France uses an eagle's head for 18 karat gold.
Countries that signed the 1972 Vienna Convention on precious metals can also strike the Common Control Mark, a pair of balance scales with 750 inside.
In the United States there is no government assay, so "18K" or "750" is the maker's own claim, governed by the Federal Trade Commission's jewelry guides rather than an independent test. The assay office guide explains the British town marks, and the gold and silver hallmarks guide covers the wider system.
When does 750 mean silver?
A 750 stamp means silver mainly on Austro-Hungarian and early Russian pieces. Austria's 1866 law allowed four silver standards, 950, 900, 800 and 750, and from 1872 the Diana head mark carried a numeral from 1 to 4, where 4 meant 750. Russia's 72 zolotnik standard is also 750 fine: 72 parts of 96.
The 72 zolotnik standard was Russia's legal minimum from 1779 to 1798. 750 silver is solid silver through its whole thickness, with copper making up most of the other 25%. It is lower than the standards most countries use today: Germany set 800 as its minimum in 1884, and modern UK law recognises 800, 925, 958 and 999 for silver. A white 750 piece made in the last century is therefore more often 18 karat white gold than silver.
| Mark beside 750 | Meaning | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Diana head with numeral 4 | 750 silver, Austria-Hungary | 1872 to 1922 |
| 72 with a town mark and Cyrillic initials | 72 zolotnik silver, 750 fine, Russia | 18th century; legal minimum 1779 to 1798 |
| Diana head with numeral 2 or 3 | 900 or 800 silver, not 750 | 1872 to 1922 |
The Russian 84 silver mark page explains the zolotnik numbers, the 900 silver mark page covers the other Austrian standards, and the 800 silver guide covers Continental silver.
Is 750 silver real silver?
Yes. A piece that is genuinely 750 silver is solid silver alloy, 75% pure, not plate. It holds 17.5 percentage points less silver than 925 sterling , so its melt value is lower: multiply the weight by 0.75 rather than 0.925. Antique 750 silver is usually worth more for its age, maker and workmanship than for its metal.
What does "750 plated" mean?
"750 plated" or "18K plated" means a thin layer of 18 karat gold over another metal. The 750 describes the layer, not the piece. The common abbreviations beside it are GP (gold plated), GF (gold filled), HGE (heavy gold electroplate) and RGP (rolled gold plate).
If the base is silver, the piece usually also carries 925; if the base is brass or steel, there is no silver number at all. A single piece cannot be both 92.5% silver and 75% gold. When 925 and 750 appear together, the body is sterling silver and the 750 refers at most to a gold surface.
How can you tell 750 gold from 750 silver at home?
Density is the most reliable home test. Silver weighs about 10.5 grams per cubic centimetre, while 18 karat gold alloys weigh roughly 15 to 16. Weigh the piece in air, then suspended in water on a kitchen scale, and divide the dry weight by the difference. A result above 14 points to gold; around 10 to 10.5 points to silver.
Three quicker checks narrow it further:
- Look for tarnish in crevices. Silver goes yellow, brown, then black. 18 karat gold does not tarnish in normal wear.
- Hold a strong magnet close. Gold and silver are both non-magnetic, so a pull means steel or nickel under plating, whatever the stamp says.
- Check the edges and clasp under a loupe. Worn plating shows a different coloured metal underneath.
A jeweller with an XRF analyser can read the alloy in seconds without marking the piece. Our silver testing guide walks through the acid and ice tests.
Can a 750 stamp be fake?
Yes, a 750 stamp can be fake. A stamp is a claim, and only an assay office hallmark is an independent test of it. A 750 with no maker's mark on a cheap chain deserves suspicion, and so does a 750 on a piece that feels light for its size.
An 18 karat chain is far heavier than a plated brass chain of the same dimensions. When the piece matters, pay for a test before you pay for the gold.
Key takeaways
- A 750 stamp means 75% pure metal; on jewelry it almost always means 18 karat gold.
- 18 of 24 karats is 0.75, which is why 18 karat gold and 750 are the same standard.
- Italian 750 with a star, a number and a province code is 18 karat gold, not silver.
- 750 silver is rare: Austro-Hungarian Diana head with numeral 4 (1872 to 1922) or Russian 72 zolotnik.
- GP, GF, HGE, RGP or "plated" beside 750 means a thin gold layer, not solid gold.
- Silver weighs about 10.5 g/cm3 and tarnishes; 18 karat gold weighs about 15 to 16 g/cm3 and does not.
Sources
- Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 2 (standards of fineness), legislation.gov.uk
- Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals (Common Control Mark)
- Fineness, Wikipedia
- Zolotnik, Wikipedia
- FTC Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries, 16 CFR Part 23
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 750 gold or silver?
On jewelry, 750 is almost always 18 karat gold, 75% pure. 750 silver exists but is rare and mostly antique: Austro-Hungarian pieces with a Diana head and the numeral 4, made from 1872 to 1922, and early Russian 72 zolotnik silver. Colour, tarnish and the marks beside the number settle it.
What does 750 mean on a ring?
On a ring, 750 means the metal is 75% pure gold, which is 18 karat. The other 25% is an alloy of metals such as silver, copper or palladium that sets the colour. A ring stamped 750 is solid gold unless GP, GF, HGE, RGP or the word plated appears beside the number.
What does 750 Italy mean?
750 with a star, a registration number and a province code such as AR or VI is the Italian mark for 18 karat gold. The star mark identifies the registered maker. Italy's usual silver standards are 800 and 925, so an Italian piece stamped 750 is gold, not silver.
Is 750 better than 925?
They measure different metals. 750 on jewelry usually means 75% gold, while 925 means 92.5% silver, known as sterling. Gram for gram, 18 karat gold is worth far more than sterling silver, because gold costs many times more than silver on the bullion market.
Does 750 white gold tarnish?
No. 18 karat white gold does not tarnish the way silver does. Most white gold is plated with rhodium for a brighter white, and that plating can wear thin over years, letting a faint yellow tone show through. A jeweller can replate it; silver would instead turn grey or black.
