Is 875 gold silver or gold? We dispel the myth from scammers.

The materials used to make jewelry are platinum, gold and silver. The introduction of new modern technologies into production makes it possible to give an expensive appearance to even not very expensive alloys.

Fraudsters get the opportunity to pass off silver as white gold, the cost of which is higher not only compared to silver, but also to yellow gold.

In order not to become their victim, you need to figure it out through trial and error. For example, to know exactly what the 875 test with a star is.

What kind of metal is this?

A system of hallmarks has been developed for precious metals in the Russian Federation.

It is based on the metric system of samples. Any of the samples serves as a guarantee of the standard amount of content in 1 kilogram of the precious metal alloy. For gold, the approved samples are 333, 375, 500, 583, 585, 750, 958, 999.

Silver has its own percentage in the alloy: 800, 830, 875, 925, 960, 999. The only thing these samples have in common is the number 999. All pure metals have this sample.

Since pure precious metals are soft, jewelry made from them is impractical. In the product they quickly lose their shape and get scratched.

Hallmark 875 with star is used for hallmarking silver only.

She has always been popular in Russia. Not only jewelry, but also cutlery and decorative items were made from 875 silver. These items were always marked with a mark in the form of a star with a hammer and sickle in the center and the number 875 next to it.

Western standard

If a buyer discovers a gold product with 875 purity, there is a high probability of deception and encountering counterfeiting. But this rule does not always work. Gold with such a fineness actually exists: 875 gold is a tracing-paper from the karat system of notation of fineness in the USA and Western Europe, a simplification for a better understanding of residents where the metric system is common. Carat marking of products is 21k (unlike the metric system, in the carat system the division is not into kilograms, grams, but into 24 parts; in the case of 875, this means the presence of 21 parts of gold out of 24 in the total mass). If you encounter products bearing such a mark, you should carefully look at the country of origin; if it is the USA or Europe, then the likelihood of authenticity is quite high.

It is worth considering that marking in carats is not official in Russia, but is not prohibited by law. The presence of karat markings instead of metric ones cannot be considered an unambiguous factor of counterfeiting, although it should alert us, since the application of an unfamiliar mark has no particular reason or logic, but can serve unscrupulous purposes of deception.

What does the mark mean?

The right to stamp a product belongs to a control agency, which guarantees that the alloy contains a certain amount of precious metal. We see this guarantee written down in the form of numbers on the finished product.

Each state has its own unique type of mark. The 875 purity guarantees that this composition contains 87.5% silver. The remaining part includes platinum, germanium, silicon, and copper.

During the Soviet era, copper was used as part of the 875 precious metal - an excellent non-ferrous metal that interacts well with silver. But over time, copper-containing alloys tarnish.

Pawnshops in Moscow accepting gold and silver

Composition and properties, characteristics

There was a standard for the composition of sample 875 with a star: it included 87.5% silver and 12.5% ​​copper. Today, often, especially in the markets of the East, they offer to purchase 875 white gold.

The product looks great and has a shine that is unusual for silver. But, despite their visual appeal, such products do not contain gold. The main metal in the alloy is silver.

All precious metals are necessarily alloyed with other metals, since pure metals are difficult to process. Different manufacturers have different compositions and percentages of additives.

The color scheme, structure and price of the alloy varies depending on the alloy.

Alloys containing platinum are more expensive than those that do not. An alloy of 875 silver with a star is characterized by hardness, strength and ductility, a low melting point, a coefficient of light reflection from the surface of the product as close as possible to 100%, and a faint yellow or red tint.

The ligature serves not only as an additive, diluting the precious metal to produce more products. Its proportions and composition are carefully selected so that the quality of the items produced is high.

To make silver more expensive, it is alloyed with copper or platinum. The main place in the alloy, naturally, is given to cheap copper, which enhances the properties of the noble metal.

This alloying also has a drawback: copper does not have the best effect on the appearance of products.

Over time, such an alloy becomes dull. In the modern production of jewelry, rhodium plating and plating are widely used - new technologies for their processing.

The quality of the alloy after such processing increases. It has the characteristic shine and brilliance of white gold. Fraudsters pass off exactly such compounds as white gold. This is a cheap high quality fake.

875 alloy

Are you interested in 875 standard, what is it - gold or silver? Existing gold samples will help to understand this issue. The metric system in force in Russia has only seven of them, but 875 gold is not among them. Therefore, the alloy with this marker is silver, not gold.

In the modern world, 875 silver alloy is widely used in the jewelry industry (rings, rings, brooches, earrings, chains, bracelets, pendants, pendants), in the manufacture of cutlery, dishes (dishes, trays), souvenirs (cigarette cases, pens, figurines, key rings, boxes), decorative interior decorations or in the coating of jewelry.

Jewelry, products

Jewelry hallmark 875 with a star is widely used for making jewelry, decorative items, and tableware. Pendants, rings, earrings are the most common products made from 875 silver; bracelets and chains are produced much less frequently.

Inexpensive semi-precious stones of natural and artificial origin are used as additional decoration for products: turquoise, amethyst, cubic zirconia, pink and smoky quartz, jasper.

Not only jewelry is made from 875 silver, but also dishes, decorative items, and souvenirs. The metal of this grade is harder than high-grade alloys, so it is well processed and used. Buyers leave positive reviews about 875 silver products.

They are beautiful, practical and, with proper care, durable.

Price

1 gram of 875 silver with a star costs about 30-50 rubles. This is significantly less than the cost of 1 gram of gold. But the cost of items marked 875 with a star differs significantly from the price of scrap. These are things with history, and not just products made of precious metal.

Regardless of the price of silver in the market, the price will always rise.

The originality and uniqueness of products is important to the consumer, therefore the mark with a star serves as an old type of marking, ensuring the uniqueness of a small-run item.

When manufacturing precious metal alloys in the USSR, strict standards were strictly observed. This sample was used to produce many souvenirs and objects that had already passed out of everyday life: cup holders, cigarette cases, shot glasses, candy vases, ashtrays.

In addition, products with hallmark 875 are no longer produced. Every year the age of the products increases. They become antiques. Silver sports cups made in the post-war period can now cost a fortune.

The “star” brand still evokes the respect of jewelers to this day. It was set on 875 silver from 1958 to 1994. Most of these products are classified as antiques, so their cost is much higher than the average price of 30-50 rubles per gram. They are sold at least 2 times more expensive.

Scrap gold and silver

Scrap gold and silver are accepted, as are solid pieces. Often, people sell scrap to get rid of old, damaged or small parts made of precious material and get money in return. You can also do a scrap exchange - hand over unnecessary debris and take new, necessary products. Scrap is not used as collateral, as this is not profitable for buyers. And the opportunity to buy it back is also not given by all pawn shops. To make bilateral, profitable exchanges, you need to contact only specialized institutions.

How to distinguish from a fake?

875 gold does not exist. However, scammers very often pass off silver with this marker as white gold. In terms of external characteristics, these two precious metals are indeed very similar to each other.

But the price of the first is only 30-50 rubles per gram, and the second is 2800-6500 rubles per gram. Such deception is a very profitable deal for criminals, and a real robbery for buyers.

To avoid purchasing silver instead of white gold, when purchasing a product it is important to pay attention to the little things:

1. Unreasonably low price. This should immediately alert you. Even if you need to quickly get money, white gold products can be sold without any significant financial losses.
2. Study the mark. The boundaries of the mark must be clear, not blurred, have a number and shape. Do not forget about the peculiarities of the type of print itself, which is shaped like a barrel. Sometimes, unfortunately, a fake brand cannot be distinguished from a real one. Some brands that fell into the hands of dishonest businessmen after the collapse of the USSR may be genuine.
3. Inaccurate fastening of stones. On a fake, stones often have poor-quality fastening, which indicates falsification.
4. Test the product using iodine from your home medicine cabinet. Drop it onto an object and watch the reaction: iodine becomes lighter on silver and darkens on gold.
5. Use a magnet. Gold does not attract him.
6. Contact a specialist. Palladium and platinum, which are alloyed with white gold, give a unique shine to the products. An alloy of silver with the addition of copper after technological processing looks like white gold. Often only a jeweler can distinguish a fake.

875 standard with star is a very practical and high-quality alloy for jewelry and ornaments. Having figured out the authenticity of the item you are buying in time, you should not overpay for it.

White gold hallmark

White gold is an alloy of different metals. A sample is placed on a product made of any alloy, which determines the proportion of pure gold in its composition. You can read more about samples in the article What is a gold sample

White gold is usually harder than red and lemon alloys. It is often preferred as a setting for precious stones. A setting made from this alloy will last longer, and the color will not distract attention and change the frequency and brilliance of the stone.

White gold composition.

To obtain white color, silver, palladium, platinum, cadmium, zinc, and nickel are added to pure gold in different proportions. Some owners of products containing zinc have developed an allergy, so since 2000 the production of such jewelry has been prohibited in the European Union.

In Russia, all alloys are regulated according to GOST 30649-99.

Composition 585 sample

The content of pure gold in the alloy is 58.5 - 60% To achieve a white color the following is added to it:

• Silver 27.5-28.5% Palladium 9.5-10.5%
• Silver 28.2-29.2% Palladium 9.5-10.5%
• Nickel 12-13% Zinc 3.6-4.4% Copper Rest

Composition 750 sample

The content of pure gold in the alloy is 75.0 - 75.5% To achieve a white color, add to it:

• Silver 7.5 - 8.5% Platinum 8.5 - 9.5%
• Silver 8.5 - 9.5% Palladium 13.5 - 14.5%
• Silver 6.5 - 7.5% Palladium 13.5 - 14.5%
• Nickel 3.5 - 4.5% Cadmium Rest
• Nickel 7 - 8% Zinc 2.1 - 2.9% Copper Rest

You will not be able to determine on your own what exactly the composition of the alloy is. To do this, you need to send the product for chemical analysis to the State Assay Supervision Inspectorate, which you can read more about in the article “The best way to check gold jewelry.”

925 white gold

I often have to answer the question about the cost of 925 white gold. Today it is about 25 rubles per gram because 925 standard is silver. White gold can only be 585 and 750.