The direct answer
9ct gold is 37.5% gold and is commonly marked 375. It often sets the melt-value floor, but age, maker, stones, design and condition can still make a piece worth assessing individually. Gold prices change daily. Fair Vintage uses current market references when preparing a written offer rather than hard-coding a fixed gold price into evergreen content.
What 375 means
A 375 mark indicates 375 parts per thousand gold, commonly called 9ct gold in the UK.
Why 9ct still needs care
Many Victorian, Edwardian and mid-century British pieces are 9ct and should not be dismissed as low-value scrap automatically.
Testing when worn
Old marks can be rubbed or partial. We combine hallmark review with appropriate testing where needed.
How Fair Vintage assesses this page topic
We separate the metal floor from the jewellery value. That means checking gold fineness and tested metal content, weight and construction, hallmarks, sponsor marks, assay office marks and maker signatures, age, period style and originality, gemstones, pearls, enamel and condition, designer, antique or collector demand beyond melt value, boxes, receipts, certificates and family notes. If a piece is mainly scrap, we say so; if it deserves antique, designer, gemstone or collector review, the written offer explains why.
Photographs to send
- 375 mark close-up
- whole piece on a plain background
- stones and claws
- weight if known
- damage or worn areas
What jewellery owners ask on Reddit
Reddit is not used as valuation evidence. It is useful because public conversations reveal recurring seller worries: missing marks, changed fittings, whether to clean pieces, how to compare scrap and antique value, and whether a postal buyer can be trusted.
Official references used
These sources support hallmarking, gold-fineness and market-reference statements. They do not set the final Fair Vintage offer for an individual item.