01Decisive
The colour cannot wear off
Rose gold's colour comes from copper alloyed through the metal, not from a coating. A rose-gold piece whose colour has worn away at the contact points to reveal something paler was plated, not solid.
750 · Lovenhall Ring
The 18K Rose Gold Mark
The same 75% gold, with copper in the balance. Harder than yellow, and it does not fade.
The millesimal mark for 18 karat gold, used worldwide4 references
Rose gold is 18 karat gold in which the non-gold quarter is dominated by copper, and the depth of colour tracks the copper proportion — more copper gives a redder tone, historically marketed as red or Russian gold. It contains exactly as much gold as yellow 18 karat, which is worth stating because the colour makes people assume otherwise.
Two practical consequences follow from the copper. Rose gold is harder and more scratch-resistant than yellow gold of the same karat, which makes it a sensible choice for a ring worn daily. And unlike white gold it is not plated, so the colour is the metal — it cannot wear off, and it does not need refinishing.
The copper can develop a very slight patina over decades, which most owners regard as an improvement. It can also, rarely, provoke a reaction in people sensitive to copper.
References and sizes
Rose gold · Pink gold · Red gold · Russian gold
Establish which of these you are holding before judging it. A genuine piece read against another reference's rules will look wrong when it is not.
Model-specific checks
What decides a 18K Rose Gold
These apply to this model and not to the rest of 750. Work them alongside the maker's general checks, not instead of them.
02Strong
It should feel as heavy as yellow gold
18 karat rose gold has the same 75 percent gold content as yellow, so the density is comparable. A rose-coloured piece that feels light is plated brass, which is itself a coppery alloy and therefore an easy match in colour.
The market
What a 18K Rose Gold does on the secondary market
Identical gold content to yellow 18k, so identical scrap value.
An orientation for honest, unrestored condition — never an appraisal, and never a quotation.
All the 750 checks
Free tools of the room
Lovenhall RingRead the whole piece
The mark tells you what the metal claims to be. The instrument reads the setting and the stones together and gives a range to orient you — before anyone charges you for an appraisal.
Free on iPhone & iPad. An estimate, never an appraisal.
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