18 karat gold alloyed white with palladium or nickel, and nearly always rhodium plated.
The millesimal mark for 18 karat gold, used worldwide
White gold is 18 karat gold with the balance chosen to bleach the colour: palladium in better work, nickel in cheaper and older pieces. Even so, the result is not white but a pale warm grey, so essentially all white gold jewellery is finished with a thin rhodium plating to give it the bright cold white buyers expect.
That plating is the source of most complaints about white gold, and it is not a fault. Rhodium is measured in fractions of a micron and wears off in a year or two of daily wear, at which point the ring looks faintly yellow-grey, especially on the underside of the shank. Replating is routine, inexpensive and expected — a jeweller will do it while you wait.
The nickel question matters for anyone with a metal sensitivity. Nickel-alloyed white gold is a common cause of contact dermatitis, and European rules limit nickel release from items in prolonged skin contact. Palladium white gold avoids the issue and costs more.
These apply to this model and not to the rest of 750. Work them alongside the maker's general checks, not instead of them.
A yellowish or greyish cast appearing on the underside of a shank is rhodium wearing off genuine white gold, not evidence of plated brass. Brass shows through pink or orange; worn white gold shows a pale warm grey.
Both are legitimate 18 karat white gold. Palladium alloys are more expensive, greyer before plating and far less likely to cause a skin reaction. Nickel alloys are whiter and cheaper and are a common dermatitis trigger.
The same gold content as yellow 18k, so the same scrap value; retail differs by fashion.
An orientation for honest, unrestored condition — never an appraisal, and never a quotation.
Lovenhall RingThe 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.