Gold is a metal that is perfectly susceptible to all kinds of mechanical damage and corrosion. To preserve the original appearance of the precious metal, other impurities are constantly added to it, in the vast majority of cases metals that are more resistant to damage.
Ligatures are metals used to give gold greater strength. Most often, silver or copper is used as a ligature. Pure gold (without any impurities) is highly susceptible to deformation, very much like simple plasticine.
Existing gold samples in the world
Gold hallmarks are special marks imposed by regulatory government agencies around the world to guarantee the presence of gold in jewelry or other types of products.
In strict accordance with the current legislative framework, regulatory government agencies strictly monitor not only jewelry stores, but also all other institutions that are to some extent related to the sale of precious metal. Therefore, before asking a pawnshop for the price of one gram of gold, you should make sure whether the institution has all the necessary licenses and certificates.
Today, there are four existing sample systems, but the most popular are: metric, carat, spool and lot samples.
A short excursion into the history of the formation of the trial system
In Rus', gold marking began to be practiced later than in Europe. At first the mark was a double-headed eagle with a date. The presence of this sign confirmed that this metal was no worse than royal silver. A test closer to us was legalized in 1613 on objects made of silver, and from gold in 1700. Other metals at that time were not yet considered precious, and therefore were not subject to hallmarking.
For a long time, the name of the breeder or the craftsman who made the jewelry had to be on the brand.
Brand on a pre-revolutionary piece of jewelry.
Later it is replaced by a stamp depicting the profile of a woman’s head in a kokoshnik. Attached to it was a letter from the Greek alphabet, which directly indicated the sample of gold.
Since 1927, they began to brand platinum, and since 1956, palladium.
In 1927, the design with the image of a woman’s head was changed to a worker with a hammer.
In the same year, the existing sample system was replaced with a metric one. In it, the sample is a number indicating the number of thousandths of gold.
Since 1958, updated samples have depicted Soviet symbols with a sickle, a hammer, and a five-pointed star. Already since 1994, hallmarks that are familiar to us have appeared.
High-grade gold jewelry can be passed on through generations. They do not change color or fade. Even if they pass between generations. Gold is chemically stable, does not interact with air, and therefore does not oxidize.
Gold of the highest standard is not used in jewelry. Only in distant pre-revolutionary times were wedding rings made from it.
An old ring made of red gold.
Products made from it are neither strong nor durable. They break and wear out relatively easily.
Such products can easily be scratched or deformed, resulting in them losing their noble appearance. It is for this reason that the highest purity of gold is not used in the jewelry industry.
For greater strength and durability, other metals (ligature) are added to high-grade gold. They make up for the properties in gold that it lacked. It can be platinum, silver, copper and nickel.
Therefore, it is worth figuring out what is the highest standard of gold used for jewelry. As a rule, in modern times the highest standard of jewelry is 750.
The shade of the resulting alloy depends on the composition of the impurities. It can be reddish, light yellow, greenish, pink. Losing its “purity”, gold gains strength in return.
This alloy does not tarnish, does not corrode, and does not react to chemical irritants.
All gold products must contain their own hallmark: metric or carat.
This value carries information about the amount of pure gold and this alloy.
It is quite natural that the most expensive sample contains the maximum amount of gold.
Spool sampling system
Until 1927 in Russia, and after that in the USSR, a spool system was used to designate the sample of precious metal. The key difference between such a standard and the karat system was the designation of pure precious metal through the number 96. All other gold products containing an admixture of other metals were designated by other, lower numbers.
| Try | Spool system | British gold carats | Pure gold content (%) |
| 333 | 32 | 8K | 33.33 |
| 375 | 36 | 9K | 37.50 |
| 417 | 40 | 10K | 41.67 |
| 500 | 48 | 12K | 50.00 |
| 585 | 56 | 14K | 58.33 |
| 625 | 60 | 15K | 62.50 |
| 750 | 72 | 18K | 75.00 |
| 792 | 76 | 19K | 79.17 |
| 800 | 76.8 | 19.2K | 80.00 |
| 833 | 81 | 20K | 83.33 |
| 875 | 84 | 21K | 87.50 |
| 917 | 88 | 22K | 91.67 |
| 958 | 92 | 23K | 95.80 |
| 990 (and above) | 96 | 24K | 99(and higher) |
Reliability of investments
The subject of investment can be gold, which has a high content of precious metal. Why is investing in gold profitable?
At all times, the precious metal was in constant demand and did not lose its value during periods of financial instability. Gold can be used in any country in the world.
Investments in precious metal are considered the most profitable. But when pure precious metal is purchased (the highest standard of gold, number 999), the invested funds do not pay off immediately, but within several years. Such investments are usually called long-term. The best period for making a profit from investing in gold when selling it is considered to be at least ten years.
Sometimes people who want to invest in gold ask the following question: “Is it more profitable to invest in bullion or gold jewelry?”
Gold items are worth purchasing if they have high artistic value. Such jewelry can be kept in a personal collection or sold at auction. In another case, gold jewelry will have to be taken to a pawnshop, which will purchase it as scrap, without taking into account the value of the precious stones and labor costs.
Buying bank bullion is considered the most profitable investment in gold. This gold has the highest standard. The maximum benefit from purchasing bars weighing up to 100 grams, because the price per 1 gram is lower than the cost of a billet weighing up to 20 grams.
The purchased bullion can be left for storage in a bank, and then sold at a favorable rate to any financial institution.
The disadvantage of purchasing bullion is the payment of value added tax, which is paid at the time of purchasing gold. In Russia this tax is 18%.
Another profitable type of investment is the purchase of investment coins. There are also some subtleties in this issue. Such investments require the necessary knowledge about the advantages and priorities of purchasing different types of coins.
Carat sample system
Based on the British carat system, one carat (K) is equal to twenty-fourths of the alloy. A similar sampling system is common in Switzerland, the United States of America, Canada and Western European countries. In Ireland, two standard systems are used equally: carat and metric. The noble metal of twenty-four carats (24K) is considered the purest. It is completely free of any other impurities. Next comes 14-karat gold, which contains fourteen parts of the precious metal and ten parts of other metals.
999.9 – maximum quality indicator
It is otherwise called “Four Nines”. This is the most expensive gold sample. It contains only 0.1 grams of impurities per 1 kg.
Some countries use carat grading to assess the quality of precious metals. According to this system, the maximum fineness corresponds to products containing 24 carat gold. Europeans are in demand for 14 and 18 carat gold.
Modern Russian samples.
In the UK, 9 carat gold is more in demand. In America, 10 carat gold is used.
In some Asian countries, only 22 carat jewelry is preferred. And in China they wear 24-karat gold, which is almost the purest gold.
Most countries use gold of this standard for their country's gold and foreign exchange reserves. It is stored in the form of bullion in the central banks of states.
Such gold is also expensive because it requires a very labor-intensive and expensive purification process.
Lot system of gold samples
A similar system existed in Germany until 1888 (before the use of the metric system). This type of gold hallmark is based on marks circulating in the Middle Ages among the Celtic, Scandinavian and Germanic populations of Britain. One stamp contained sixteen lots.
To convert a lot sample into a multiple, the lot system values must be divided by two and then multiplied by three. In case of conversion to the metric system, the value of the lot sample must be divided by sixteen, and then multiplied by 1000.
Pros of 999 proof
This is almost pure gold, which is used for profitable investments, in addition, such a material is ideal for the following:
- Creation of gilding.
- Coverings with tinsel.
In some cases, the material is used to make jewelry, but such products are small, expensive and weigh a lot.
Gold plating is a material used to cover the surface of silver or copper. The result is a piece of jewelry with a characteristic yellow color, but at the same time its cost is significantly lower than jewelry made of gold.
Leaf coating is used as thin sheets of gold; it is suitable for creating designs on sets, vases, as a decorative element and for covering the domes of churches and cathedrals. Gold leaf is applied to the surface of the domes to prevent exposure to environmental factors.
At the same time, the highest standard of gold is considered impractical when it comes to jewelry. Such products:
- heavy;
- are expensive;
- deformed.
An exception are wedding rings, which, due to their weight, retain their shape; the surface of the rings does not corrode and does not lose its shine and color over the years, but scratches quickly appear on the surface of the jewelry.
Pure gold has a characteristic red hue - a specific red color.
Gold samples according to the metric system
In Russia it is now customary to use the metric system of samples. This system is characterized by ease of use. In other words, the metric system shows how many grams of noble metal are in one kilogram of the total alloy. For example, if one kilogram of alloy contains 415 grams of ligature and 585 grams of pure precious metal, then according to the metric system, this jewelry will have a 585 standard.
Russian jewelers in the vast majority of cases use the following samples:
- 958;
- 900;
- 916;
- 585;
- 750;
- 500;
- 375.
Previously, the 583 standard of the precious metal was widely distributed, which, according to the metric system, corresponded to 14K. Then a proposal was adopted to slightly change the gold standard (due to the difference in the price of gold) from 583 to 585 samples, so that Russian gold jewelry would not be at all inferior in value (per gram) to Western samples.
Features of the precious metal and assay system
Items made of gold have always been considered a symbol of wealth and success, because the price of the solar metal is high. Buying such jewelry allows you to once again emphasize your wealth. In addition, gold rings, earrings, and bracelets are attractive from an aesthetic point of view. In the old days, only privileged sections of society could afford such expensive items. This metal is characterized by:
- Gold has high ductility: from 1 gram you can make a wire more than three km long. Adding various impurities makes it harder and more durable;
- Medicine attributes healing properties to this noble metal. The body’s protective functions are stimulated, the precious metal has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system;
- It has high thermal conductivity: when in contact with the skin, it takes on the temperature of the human body;
- The bright yellow metal conducts electricity well.
When purchasing jewelry, buyers often think about what the engraved numbers on the item mean. People who are ignorant in this matter believe that the highest standard is a sign of quality. Jewelers and precious metals specialists will not give a clear answer to the question of which standard of gold is better. It all depends on what purpose the metal is used for. For example, high-grade alloys are rarely used to create jewelry, since they are subject to deformation, are fragile and quickly lose their attractive appearance.
The question of what is the best standard today worries not only connoisseurs of gold jewelry, but also those who want to invest money in precious metals. In Russia and the CIS countries, 6 markings are used: from the lowest standard of 375 to the highest standard of 999.
This is interesting! Over the entire history of human existence, about 200 thousand tons of gold have been mined.
Which sample should I buy?
Everyone in their life has visited a jewelry store at least once and bought gold jewelry. If it was not a purchase for yourself, then it was a gift to loved ones, relatives and friends. In order not to panic and get confused in jewelry stores, you need to imagine in advance: the cost of the desired product, its sample, shade and appearance.
Having clear ideas in this regard, the seller will not be able to be taken by surprise with the question “ten carat gold, what is the hallmark?”, if the store uses not the metric, but the carat standard system. You can always remember that ten carats equals 375 fineness.
You should never chase after more expensive gold jewelry, or dream of owning the noble metal with the highest purity (999). It is not for nothing that for more than a decade, people have given their preference to 585 standard, which has proven itself in matters of strength and long-term use. Products with 999 fineness, although they have the highest level of gold content, are characterized by a high degree of deformation and can become soft. Such products are short-lived and are not suitable for constant use.
What color of gold is better to choose?
In jewelry store windows you can see several colors of gold: white, red and yellow. The sample on the product indicates the percentage of precious metal in the alloy, and the color indicates the composition of the alloy (the so-called impurities).
- Yellow. Judging by the color of the jewelry, it becomes clear that the additives contain copper and silver. This color suggests wealth and prestige of the owner. The shade is directly related to the amount of silver added: the more silver, the lighter the tone.
- Red and pink. The composition of the alloy is the same as that of its yellow counterpart, but many times more copper has been added. Such products were common in the 70-80s; copper was the main component of the alloy.
- White. Such jewelry has become popular because it looks like platinum and is much cheaper. Among the additives that help give white color are silver, palladium, and less commonly platinum.
At one time, nickel was present in the alloy, but in most countries it was banned, since products containing this metal darken and cause allergies to the skin.
White gold owes its appearance mainly to palladium. It is added most often and most of all. Products made from this alloy are popular. Many jewelry models are made up of several colors. Studded with diamonds and cubic zirconia, they look incredibly expensive and beautiful. Many products are made with pearls, diamonds and sapphires. This is probably the most expensive group of gold jewelry, although the standard is the same as for yellow items.
Red and pink alloys contain zinc and copper. This makes the metal durable and easy to process. Plasticity allows jewelers to show imagination and the ability to make subtle, elegant patterns. Most often, garnets, rubies and diamonds are set in it. Although the jewelry you purchase is beautiful and durable, yellow gold is more valuable.
The yellow color comes from the addition of silver and copper. Moreover, Argentum is contained in larger quantities. Typically, such jewelry does not have an intricate design and is not replete with precious stones.
World gold prices 999
A general description of the price of yellow precious metal may sound like this: the cost of this natural resource is increasing more and more every year. The central banks of all European countries, including Russia, receive the discount price of 1 gram of gold from the daily fixings of the world metal exchange in London. Then the main bank of the country forms its own price for the product, relying in this process on many factors: the political situation in society and the country, imports, taxes, the world level of gold production, and so on.
The discount price, already issued by the Central Bank, is a standard for commercial banks, which, based on the received figures, will form their selling and purchasing prices.
Variety of shades of gold
Rich and radiant yellow is the color of the purest gold. The following plate examines the most common samples and their ebbs, obtained by adding various elements to the composition.
| Color | Try | Gold | Silver | Copper | Palladium |
| light yellow | 375 | 37.5% | 10% | 48,7% | 3.8% |
| yellow | 583 | 58,3% | 8% | 34% | No |
| greenish tint | 583 | 58,3% | 30% | 11,7-12% | No |
| red | 585 | 58,5% | No | 41,5% | No |
| white | 585 | 58,5% | 24,2% | No | 15,3% |
| yellow | 750 | 75% | 18% | 7% | No |
| pink | 750 | 75% | 11,5% | 12,5% | No |
| white | 750 | 75% | 5% | No | 20% |
Shades of gold
Brand on the product
525 gold purity is always found on products of this group containing Ag. The mark allows you to determine the properties and composition of the material (precious metal content). It stands next to the name plate, which identifies the manufacturer. The shape of the hallmark of gold products resembles a spatula - it has a complex configuration (when compared with palladium and silver).
The mark of the assay certificate may also be present here, as well as the code of the state inspection of assay supervision.
Silver ring with green stone
Sample 525: composition, valuable properties
The content of 58.5% gold makes it possible to reduce the softness of the material and increase its strength. As a result, it becomes wear-resistant and tolerates exposure to moderately high mechanical loads. In addition, the properties of this type of gold are determined by the alloy. Commonly used components:
- silver;
- copper.
Metals that are used less frequently:
- nickel;
- platinum and other platinum group metals;
- cadmium;
- zinc.
In the 525 sample, the content of pure metal is 52.5% and 47.5% of various additives.
They are not used simultaneously. The combination of components used to obtain 525 gold is always different. The choice is made taking into account what kind of metal needs to be obtained: more or less soft, ductile, of different shades. Nickel is not used today for the manufacture of jewelry, as cases of allergies to such a component have become more frequent.
Platinum makes the alloy more expensive, many times over. It can be added to the composition when it is necessary to obtain white gold or to improve properties such as hardness and ductility.
What does it mean
In its pure form, gold is rich in color, soft, and of high density. Not suitable for making jewelry, since the shape will be subject to deformation and mechanical damage.
To solve this problem, back in the old days, craftsmen began to add auxiliary alloys to it. For aurum, the ligature is often copper or silver; zinc, nickel, palladium, and platinum are also added. The presence of these metals makes the jewelry durable and gives it shine. The presence of a ligature in the composition also affects the color of the jewelry.
To find out the ratio of precious metal and alloy, it is customary to put a numerical designation - a sample, which shows how many percent of the precious metal and added alloys are contained.
There is no unified sampling system. In the USA and European countries, the value of precious alloys is established using the carat system, since in the West the amount of gold is measured in carats. In the post-Soviet space, the familiar metric system remains, according to which measurements are taken in grams. This situation is acceptable, because both get along and are recognized as jewelry makers.
In Tsarist Russia, a spool-type gold assay system was used, which is considered obsolete and is not currently used. Designations consisting of two numbers are found only on family jewelry, passed down by inheritance, in private or public collections.
