Signs of jewelry factories on stamps. Gold samples: what are they?

To determine the quality of such a precious metal as gold, a sampling system was invented that showed the amount of pure metal in the product.

The need for this system came with the advent of gold jewelry and items for sale. Due to the fact that gold is pure form very soft and fragile, various kinds of impurities are added to it (copper, zinc, silver, palladium). In general, several main sampling systems are used. In Russia and neighboring countries, the metric system is used; in the European Union and Western countries, preference is given to the carat system. Until 1927, the Soviet Union used a spool testing system.

Classification of gold samples

In general, there are two main systems of samples: metric and carat, but very often on old antique things you can also find a spool sample.

Spool system

The spool sampling system was created in Russia in 1711, and was in use for more than two hundred years, until 1927. This system, like others, indicated the exact number of noble metal in the alloy; for gold, the maximum value was 96. In general, the following gold samples were established: 56, 72, 82, 92, 94.

To convert spool standard to metric, you can use the following formula:

Metric system

The metric testing system replaced the spool system in 1927, and has been operating in the Russian Federation and neighboring countries to this day. There are the following metric standards for gold used in Russia: 375, 500, 583, 585, 750, 958, 999. It is measured very simply - let’s say you have gold decoration with a total weight of 1,000 grams of 585 purity, this means that it contains 585 grams of pure gold, the rest is alloy additives (copper, zinc, etc.).

Carat sample system

The karate sampling system is used mainly in the USA, Canada and some Western European countries. Therefore, questions are often asked: 18 carat gold, what grade? Or 14 karat gold, what standard?

So, the basis of the carat system is the number of carats of precious metal in a 24-karat alloy.

That is in simple words: If you have 18 karat gold and you want to find out how much it is in the metric system, then you need 18/24 * 1000 = 750. This means that 18 karat gold is equal to 750 purity.

Marking and hallmarking of gold jewelry

In Russia, on all jewelry according to GOST, next to the numbers that indicate the sample and put a stamp on it. The stamp looks like a female head in a kokoshnik, looking into right side. In the USSR, the mark looked like a star with a hammer and sickle icon inside.

Gold is different from gold

The cost of any piece of jewelry depends on the standard of gold from which it is made. The higher it is, the more expensive the decoration will be. Not all people understand what grades of gold there are and how a high-grade precious metal differs from a low-grade one.

However, for a person who wants to purchase any item in a jewelry store, it is simply necessary to know a lot about it, because otherwise Over time, he may become disappointed in his purchase.

Features of jewelry production: alloying and samples

Even schoolchildren know that gold in its pure form is too soft a metal; it can be compared to the hardness of a human nail. Precious jewelry made from such material will quickly bend, become scratched and become unusable. To make gold strong, alloying elements are introduced into it. The most common components added to the yellow metal today are:

• copper;
• silver;
• nickel;
• palladium;
• platinum.

Thanks to alloying, the precious metal not only becomes hard and wear-resistant, but also acquires new shades and an exquisite shine.

What is a sample? This term refers to the amount of gold or other precious metals contained in jewelry alloys. In other words, the sample indicates how many milligrams of pure gold are included in 1 g of the alloy from which the jewelry is made. The test is affixed by control institutions on the surfaces of all jewelry in the form of a stamp with the image of a female profile and a three-digit number. The presence of an assay mark is the main guarantor of the quality of the product.

Sampling systems

In its absence, it is best to refrain from buying the jewelry you like, as this may indicate that they are trying to sell ordinary jewelry to the buyer under the guise of a gold item.

What grade is solar metal? Today in Russian Federation produce precious jewelry from 958, 750, 585, 500 and 375 gold. During the Soviet Union, the gold standard of the country was considered to be a precious metal with the numerical designation 583. In some foreign countries, 333 gold is used in the manufacture of cheap accessories, but in Russia it has not gained popularity. Pure also exists, but it is almost never used in jewelry production due to its high softness. It is customary to invest money in it by purchasing gold bars and commemorative coins.

The sample stamp on a product can tell a lot about it. For example, rings, earrings and other jewelry made from high-grade alloys, although expensive, require careful treatment, since the high content of noble metal makes them soft and unsuitable for daily use.

But low-quality products, although they are characterized by increased strength, over time darken and lose their attractive appearance. In order not to make a mistake with your purchase, you need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each sample.

What do the numbers 999 and 958 indicate?

What does a quality mark look like?

The “999” imprint can only be seen on pure gold. It contains 99.99% of precious metal, and 0.01% are impurities from which it is impossible to completely purify gold. This metal has an unsaturated yellow and only vaguely resembles the gold that sparkles in the ears, hands and necks of the fair sex. As mentioned above, jewelry is not currently made from it. But in the old days, sheets of gold leaf were made from this material, which were used to decorate church domes.

Before the 1917 revolution, wedding rings made of pure gold (in those days it was called red gold) were very popular in Russia. To prevent wedding accessories from bending, they were made massive, weighing at least 8 grams. Today, solar metal, corresponding to 999 standard, can be found in jewelry only in the form of inserts. To prevent it from deforming during wear, it is edged with stronger and more wear-resistant 585 gold. Despite its softness and fragility, 999 sample is the most expensive of all existing ones.

Precious metal marked “958” belongs to high-grade alloys. One gram of it contains 95.8 mg of pure gold and only 4.2 mg of ligature. Precious metal with this numerical designation is practically no different from red gold: it has the same discreet shade and bends like plasticine. Because of these features, the alloy is rarely used in jewelry production.

Sometimes inserts for exquisite jewelry are made from it, but it is problematic to see precious accessories made entirely of such metal on store shelves.

The most popular samples in the world and in Russia

The most popular standard among gold jewelry is 585

There are samples of gold that are popular among the population in many countries around the world. For example, 750 sample. It contains 75 mg of noble metal for every gram of precious alloy, and the remaining 25 mg are alloying elements (copper, silver, nickel, palladium or platinum). Its color will depend on what impurities and in what proportions are introduced into gold. It can turn out white, pink, red, blue, green, purple or even black.

750 sample is considered the most prestigious. It is this material that world-famous jewelry brands prefer to create their jewelry from. Accessories made from it are moderately durable and never crack, they can be worn every day. Your favorite ring made of this jewelry alloy will not change its color or fade over time. A large number of pure precious metal in 750 gold made it expensive and accessible only to financially secure jewelry connoisseurs. For all other fans of the yellow metal, there are cheaper options.

What types of gold are there at more affordable prices? common man prices? If you don’t have enough money for expensive jewelry, you can opt for gold marked “585”. It produces beautiful and durable things that are not susceptible to mechanical damage and wear and do not darken when exposed to air and moisture. The alloy contains 58.5% solar metal and 41.5% alloying elements. When copper and silver are added to gold, it acquires a reddish tint, palladium or nickel - white.

To obtain a precious item with an unusual bluish tint, the noble metal is mixed with rhodium in certain proportions. Gold 585 is today considered the gold standard in Russia and the CIS countries; the majority of domestic jewelry is made from it (about 70% of all goods on the jewelry market). 585 sample replaced 583, which was incredibly popular in the Soviet Union.

Brand in jewelry sometimes he can tell you much more than other consultants in the salon... but only if you are savvy in this matter. Often hallmarking jewelry is something that can tell not only what kind of metal you have in front of you, but also who made the jewelry, how long ago it was made and how long it will last.

Samples on jewelry: what does the buyer need to know?
6 answers to important questions

The mark on jewelry can sometimes tell much more than other consultants in the salon... but only if you are savvy in this matter. Often, jewelry hallmarking is something that can tell you not only what kind of metal you have in front of you, but also who made the jewelry, how long ago it was made and how long it will last.

Check the mark on the ring if you want it to serve you faithfully: after all, under the guise of a gold ring, suspicious stores can sell silver with gilding, which will soon peel off, revealing the real composition of the metal.

Since hallmarking jewelry made of precious metals is a mandatory procedure in Russia, European and Asian countries, the absence of a hallmark in the right place should serve as a serious warning. By the way, in our store all jewelry is marked!

Question No. 1. “Where do they put the stamp on earrings?
chains, pendants, bracelets?

According to international rules, assaying and hallmarking of jewelry should not affect them appearance . Therefore, the mark can only be placed on back side jewelry, fasteners, or, if we are talking about products made of thin parts, on a special soldered plate of the same metal.

Whatever gold jewelry you purchase, first of all it must be of high quality and made from a material that matches the hallmark. What is a hallmark and what do the stamps on a gold product mean? Let's try to figure it out.

What do the numbers on gold mean?

Show how much pure gold is contained in the jewelry and how much ligature a gold hallmark can be placed on a solder or lock (photo). The testing system was tested in the 30s of the last century in France. Tsarist Russia began to use hallmarks in the modern sense after a decree of the Tsar in 1700, which established four types of hallmarks for silver and gold.

Before this, Moscow stamped the image of a double-headed eagle as an indicator of the “purity” of the alloy of silver coins.

The modern world uses three types of gold hallmarks:

• metric,
• carat,
• spool valve

It was the spool test that Tsarist Russia began to use for gold testing in 1733. Pure gold without impurities had a purity of 96; over time, others stood out: 94, 92, 82, 72, and 56.

The karat standard of gold is used in all developed countries of the world, and 1 carat is equal to 1/24 of the mass of the alloy. For example, a 24 carat ring has no impurities, and according to the spool system it corresponds to 96 samples. In 14-karat gold jewelry, there are only 14 parts of pure gold out of the total mass of the metal; according to the spool system, it corresponds to a purity of 56.

The metric system came to Russia in 1927 from Germany, and completely replaced the spool markings. The minimum amount of gold is 375, the maximum is 1000.

• The most elite metric gold hallmarks - 1000, 958, 916, and 900 - are used in the production of international coin alloys and demonstrate the high quality of jewelry.
• Made from 750 and 585 grade alloy expensive jewelry, fountain pens, pocket and wrist watches.
• For cheap jewelry and the production of some watch models, 500 and 375 gold are used.

Hallmarks on gold

The amount of pure metal depends on the stamp on the gold product and shows in which country it was made. For Belarus, such a mark is the image of a bison.

In Russia, until the beginning of 1990, stamps were affixed containing several elements: sample numbers, the coat of arms of Russia, the first letter of the name of the responsible employee and the year (photo). For a long time, the marks were convex, and only after the 1990s they became depressed. From that time on, the mark on any product began to look like the profile of a woman wearing a traditional headdress - a kokoshnik. The same head, but turned in the other direction, was placed on gold over the next thirty years, supplemented by the first letter of the name of the Russian district in which the ring, earrings or bracelet were made.

The times of the Soviet Union changed the stigma and testing system. The calculus became metric, and the mark took the shape of a worker’s head with a hammer. Then the mark changed again - precious metals began to be marked with an image five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle inside.

What mark is used on gold today? The Soviet attributes were replaced by a woman in a kokoshnik again. This is what they put on jewelry. Russian production. They also test gold and capital letter, which denotes the State Inspectorate that issued the mark. So, for example, a combined 585 gold stamp may look like this: “s, head in a kokoshnik looking to the right, 585” (photo).

You can also often find a mark in the form of four capital letters on jewelry. This is a personal stamp affixed by the jewelry manufacturer to provide the buyer with information about the purchased product.

The letters are a code:

• the first one indicates the year of manufacture,
• the second is the testing site,
• the third and fourth are unique to each production location.

How gold jewelry is branded

There are three ways to apply stamps:

1. Mechanical method. The most ancient method, which was invented in the 17th century. It is considered the roughest, since craftsmen have to use special hammers for it. Despite this, mechanical method When applied, the terminal does not injure the product and is used in almost 100% of cases. Today this method has been improved and put on an automated conveyor.
2. Electric spark method. The impression is made by burning out the desired design using electric sparks. This method is quite modern, it is not even 50 years old. It is more accurate and holds better even on the thinnest and most fragile items. The electric spark test is applied only to the flat surface of the product.
3. Laser method. You can make an impression with a laser, or put a convex stamp. The latter type is not applied to the inside of jewelry, since after a short time it will be erased. Laser branding is considered the most expensive and complex method.

Methods for applying stamps are selected individually for each piece of jewelry. This is done in order not to spoil the quality and appearance of the jewelry, especially for gold decorated with precious stones.

Despite the fact that marking gold has state supervision, there are craftsmen who are able to circumvent the laws and produce high-quality fakes. When buying jewelry, check for quality certificates and try not to purchase gold in Turkey. In this state, marking and stamping are not regulated by the government.

Beauty will save the world! This phrase fits perfectly when discussing jewelry made from precious metals and stones. Using these expensive components, a real jeweler is able to create an alloy in any proportions. But after making jewelry from such an alloy, it is difficult to evaluate it and compare it with other similar jewelry. For these purposes, in the 17th century, jewelers began to use special criteria for jewelry, such as gold samples, which made it possible to identify products by the content of precious metal, the presence of additions of other elements, and color.

What are gold hallmarks?

The ratio of base metals in the alloy determines its quality indicator. These metals include gold (aurum), silver (argentum), copper (cuprum). The legislation of the Russian Federation establishes the mandatory marking of any alloys based on precious metals. An imprint is made on the jewelry indicating the quality of the alloy. This impression is called a hallmark or stamp. Historically, marks in different countries world corresponded to the weight standards used. The metric system indicates parts of 99.99% pure gold in 1000 parts of the alloy.

Carat sample system

Gold with a content of 99.99% in the alloy is considered absolutely pure. In the karate system, this indicator is designated 24k. Further, in descending order, the standard 23k, 22k, 18k, 14k, 12k, 9k, 8k carat values ​​are used. What does the karat mark mean on gold jewelry? An 18 carat piece of jewelry means that there are 18 parts of pure yellow metal in 24 parts of the alloy. This system is used in the USA, Canada, Asian countries and some European countries.

Spool sampling system

The spool system, introduced in 1798 during the reign of Russian Emperor Pavel Petrovich, is primordially Russian. It was based on the weight standard used at that time - the Russian pound, which consisted of 96 spools. When the stamp was installed in 96 spools, the gold content in the alloy being tested was 99.99%. Further, this figure decreased to 36 spools. To convert from a spool system to a carat system, it is necessary to divide the stamp indicator by 4.

Assay marks of Russia and foreign countries

Since the middle of the 17th century in Rus' for branding gold and silver products The use of the double-headed eagle began. The content of pure gold during this period was 83–85%, which corresponded to the purity of imported gold coins, thalers or efimkas, from which jewelry was made. The hallmarking of gold objects in Rus' was legalized by a royal decree under Peter the Great in 1700. In Russia, the 56th sample is most widespread, which corresponds to the modern 585.

During this period, city coats of arms and the number of spools in a ligature pound were used for branding. Used for branding since 1899 woman's face in the kokoshnik, which in 1927 was replaced by the profile of a worker with a hammer, and since 1957, a hammer and sickle against the background of a five-pointed star. In Asian countries, hieroglyphs were used for branding. In Europe - coats of arms of countries and cities indicating the fineness in carats. The type of mark designation should not differ much for different manufacturers.

What types of gold are there?

In life, we come across jewelry made from this “despicable” metal (earrings, chains, rings) of different colors. Additional inclusions of other metals in the precious alloy are called ligatures. Objects, depending on the alloy content in the alloy, acquire green, red, orange, yellow, platinum and white color. The main contents of the alloy are silver, copper, platinum (palladium), zinc. In base alloys white Nickel is used instead of platinum. It is important for the buyer to know what standard gold is before going to a jewelry store.

999 sample

The highest quality score is 999. This alloy contains 0.01% impurities. It is practically pure gold. This alloy is not used for making jewelry because it is subject to deformation and has a dull yellow color. This alloy is used to create bank bars of various weights for sale to investors who want to save money or make money on the rise in the value of precious metals.

At all times, precious metal has always been in price. During periods of financial crises, the demand for it and other precious metals rises sharply. Their quotes on all world exchanges are the main economic indicators. Bank bullion is sold by all banks in the world and included in the deposit portfolios of large and small investors, and jewelry at all times has given women the opportunity to look rich and beautiful.

925 sample

Objects not only made of gold, but also of silver are subject to branding. If the product is marked 925, this means that this is a silver jewelry High Quality. The amount of pure silver in it is 92.5%. Germanium and cadmium are used as ligatures along with silver to maintain the original shine and prevent the jewelry from darkening over time. These additives were used by ancient masters and give a magnificent appearance to silver masterpieces.

875 sample

The 875 mark on the jewelry indicates a maximum percentage of silver of 87.5%. Items made from this metal are popular. They always tried to fake it. Possible options Substitutes for silver include alloys of lead, aluminum, and zinc. To give a silver shine, fakes are coated with pure silver. When purchasing jewelry made from precious metals, pay attention to the presence of the hallmark number on all parts of the pendant, chain or ring. Jewelry should be sold in a store only if it has a seal with the manufacturer's passport attached.

750 sample

To make it easier to understand what gold hallmark means, you should mentally break the product into 1000 parts or shares. The numbers 750 mean that this product contains 750 parts of pure precious metal. This highest quality gold in jewelry used in industry. 75% gold combined with copper gives objects made from this alloy a characteristic reddish tint. 18K alloy is widely used to create jewelry in Asian countries, it is used to create gold plating for men's and women's accessories.

585 sample

The most common gold standard on an industrial scale is 585. The pure gold content in this alloy is 58.5%. The ligature in it is divided in the ratio of silver to copper, as 1 to 4.3. This is an experimentally established ratio of the volume of gold and additives. Jewelry marked 585 has beautiful colour and shine. In our country, pendants, chains, rings, earrings, brooches and bracelets are made from this alloy. To reduce the likelihood of counterfeiting, objects made of this alloy are stamped 5S5 using the electric spark or laser method. It is more difficult to fake than a simple print.

583 sample

In the first years of Soviet Power after 1927, the mark 583 was used. This is the gold standard of the Soviet Union. Most of the rings and earrings we inherited from our parents are of this quality. In the post-war period, 14-karat gold was widely used in Europe. If 14 is divided by 24 and multiplied by 1000, the result is 583. A large number of wedding rings, jewelry with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and semiprecious stones. In 2000, the 585 stamp became the Russian standard.

500 sample

If the content of yellow metal and ligature is equal, the sample becomes equal to 500. For industrial purposes this standard is not applied, but in production by private craftsmen this high-quality composition alloy used. Jewelry made from it with an original design or with a special theme receives the opportunity to be fully appreciated. Abroad, brooches, cufflinks, and cigarette cases are made from 500-quality alloy.

385 sample

Gold jewelry with a quality index of 385 contains more than half of its volume of additional materials. With an increased copper content, jewelry acquires a reddish tint. Silver in the alloy gives products a whitish or even light white color. For the purpose of manufacturing jewelry alloys with good malleability and low melting point are used. This temperature for aurum is 1080 degrees Celsius, for silver - 1550, for platinum - 1780. To reduce the melting point, zinc is used in the alloy.

375 sample

The cheapest alloy for making gold jewelry is quality 375 alloy. A large amount of copper and silver in it leads to rapid oxidation and the appearance of dark spots. If there are small parts, it is difficult to restore the original appearance. This alloy is inexpensive and makes it possible to produce mass-produced cheap jewelry. As long as jewelry production has existed, there have been organizations involved in standardization, accounting and control over the circulation of precious metals. In the Russian Federation, this is done by the Assay Chamber of Russia.

Gold samples in the USSR

In the USSR, for the manufacture of jewelry and ritual products and semi-finished products from precious metals, GOST 30649-99 was used, which established the following types of gold samples: