Two samples per ring. Sample on imported products. Names and hallmarks on items brought from the CIS countries

04.07.2019

Pure gold is rarely used. All jewelry that is sold in stores is partially composed of gold, as well as impurities of other metals - ligatures. This gives the product additional strength, since pure gold is a soft material in its structure, and products made from it quickly lose their original properties - they become thinner and prone to breakage.

When buying any gold items, it is important to pay close attention to the presence of a hallmark on them, located next to the lock mechanism, usually on its reverse side.

On chains, the brand is affixed on the rings that connect the main chain to the lock, on earrings - on the pin, the rings are to be printed on the inside. The stigma is inherent in all high quality gold products.

On the territory of the Russian Federation, gold products are sold for sale, the samples of which belong to 375, 500, 585, 750 and 999 quality.

The sample is placed near the mark. It is designed to determine the percentage of pure gold in the product.

- the main indicator of the presence of impurities in the product, but hallmarks are also intended for this purpose. They are affixed after applying the sample and must comply with all requirements of state standards.

In our country, these two procedures are carried out by the Assay Office, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance. Employees of the Federal Assay Supervision are responsible for the actual compliance of samples and hallmarks with state standards, and also control their authenticity.

All Russian-made products must contain two hallmarks - an imprint of the manufacturer's name (mark) and the hallmark of the state inspectorate.

In the absence of an imprint of a hallmark or a sample on the product, it can be assumed that the manufacture of a gold jewelry or other item was carried out by illegal methods.

Gold products imported into the territory of our country from other countries are also equipped with a domestic stamp.

Before being stamped with numbers indicating the sample, the piece of jewelry undergoes a thorough check. Only after determining its authenticity and naturalness, a decision is made on its branding.

If a piece of jewelry brought from another country is submitted for inspection, then its sample may be lower than that indicated in the documents for transportation. Therefore, such a product is stamped with a sample an order of magnitude lower than in the documents. In case of complete doubt and inconsistency of the quality of the product with the sample declared in the documents, the stamp is not affixed.

Types of marks:

Main- on it in a frame there is an image of a female head in a kokoshnik, which looks to the right and a sign in numbers indicating the sample. The letter, located to the left of the head, indicates exactly where the product was branded - on the territory of which State Inspectorate.
Additional- used for individual parts of the product and contains one sample.

Hallmarks for gold items are made in the form of a spatula, consisting of a certificate mark, an inspection code and a sample number to which the metal belongs.

All signs (names) are registered without fail and entered into the catalog of manufacturers.

In any jewelry factory, there are three main methods for stamping gold items:

Consequently, the types of brand on the product are determined by a number of certain points:

the complexity of the decoration;
the peculiarity of the location of the stones on it (if any);
appearance;
jewelry design. The more sophisticated it is, the more difficult it is to stamp gold.

Everyone should know when buying a piece of jewelry or any gold item that the absence of a hallmark, a hallmark on it is the first sign of a fake and a poor quality of the acquisition.

You should not hesitate to ask the seller for quality marks for familiarization, so as not to get deep disappointment from such a “decoration”.

The same applies to the sale of jewelry without stamps and samples - this is a violation of the current legislation, since such sales do not pursue the interests of buyers. Having purchase receipts and return certificates in hand, returning purchased low-quality jewelry to the store is not difficult.

The types of samples differ from each other by the presence of gold in the common alloy of the whole product.

The lowest composition alloy is 375 gold. It contains only 37.5% gold, the rest is silver and copper. The shade of the product depends on the predominant amount of one or another metal in it, and varies from light yellow to bright red.

The brilliance of 375 gold fades quite quickly from sunlight and air. That is why jewelry is rarely made from it. As a rule, these can be inexpensive engagement rings that are attractive to buyers at a low price.

Gold 585 is most often used for making gold for jewelry in our country. Pure gold in this sample accounts for 58.5%, 8% is silver and 33.5% is copper. This alloy, as a rule, is very strong, has yellow or reddish hues.

Today, white gold has become widely popular, therefore, due to its popularity, under the breakdown of 585, an alloy of the well-known white shade was invented. To do this, palladium and nickel are added to it.

Gold 750, the jewelry of which is the most expensive, high-quality and prestigious, is quite flexible in processing. Thanks to this, it is possible to make products from it that have truly jewelry accuracy.

The malleable metal of this test forms the basis of the most expensive pieces of jewelry that make up special collections. Gold in this alloy is 75%. The metal does not tarnish over time, does not cease to shine and perfectly tolerates the effects of the strongest alkalis.

Gold 999 is pure gold in the truest sense, having the highest value. It is very bright in color and is subject to any, even the smallest mechanical deformations. This material is used in the production of ingots.

It is important to know how to deliver the piece if it is made to order from a private jeweler. It should be borne in mind that in order to stamp the product with a sample, you need to contact the Assay Office.

Therefore, before ordering work from a jeweler, you should ask him for a certificate of registration of an individual as an individual entrepreneur, so as not to waste time and money. The purchased jewelry from the hands can be taken to a pawnshop to determine its authenticity and compliance with the declared characteristics.

Due to the fact that earlier the hallmarks on the products were applied manually, it was impossible to fake them, and any jeweler could independently distinguish the original from the fake jewelry.

Today, high-tech equipment used in the manufacture of hallmarks allows unscrupulous persons to carry out fraud and forge distinctive signs in the form of hallmarks and samples, applying increased characteristics to jewelry or gold products that do not match the samples.

To try to independently determine the authenticity of the stigma, it is worth arming yourself with a good magnifying glass with a sufficient degree of magnification. Due to the fact that dirt can get into the deepened cavities of the brand, the decoration should be thoroughly washed before inspection.

The fake brand corresponds to the real one only in terms of external signs, noticeable on the basis of visual inspection.

The most important thing that distinguishes the original from the fake is the clarity and evenness of the sample. Curved uneven numbers indicate a fake.

Not always, of course, an unsuccessfully affixed sample is a 100% imitation, but in most cases it is inherent in products made of fake metal.

Also, uneven numbers inside the sample may indicate a fake. Sometimes names are made by hand, and due to the jewelry work, small flaws are possible. But this is usually the exception.

The stamp on gold is a necessary attribute that distinguishes the metal of one quality from another, characterizing the authenticity of the product, its legality and legitimacy. Therefore, when buying jewelry or any other gold item, you should carefully choose it so as not to get disappointed with the purchase.

Why do I need a sample on jewelry?

Such a concept as a “sample” appeared in jewelry when the need to control the consumption of precious metals and their content in various alloys was recognized. The hallmark determined what proportion of the precious metal was in the alloy from which this or that product was made.

It is impossible to obtain strong and durable jewelry that is resistant to deformation from pure precious metal, so jewelry and other items are made from alloys. A precious metal alloy may include zinc, copper, silver, nickel and other metals that are responsible for certain properties and characteristics, including the color of products. Metals added to an alloy are called ligatures. Knowing what samples of precious alloys are, you can easily determine the quality of a particular piece of jewelry.

What products are tested?

The state assay mark is put on all products made of precious metals and their alloys using artistic processing, with inserts of precious, jewelry, ornamental and non-ferrous stones. In addition, the sample is minted for commemorative, anniversary signs and medals, except for commemorative coins that have passed the issue, as well as state awards.

Each precious metal, on the basis of which the alloy is made, has not only a certain set of digital sample designations, but also the shape of the hallmark. At the same time, gold-plated silver jewelry is branded as silver.

The stamp is not placed on the following products:

Precious metal nuggets used as jewelry (inserts, overlays, pendants, etc.), for such products, a certificate for precious metal nuggets is sufficient.
Gold and silver leaf, as well as small gold and silver incisions on weapons, vases, dishes, caskets and religious objects.

If a piece of jewelry is imported from abroad for sale, it may be of a lower standard than that established in accordance with Russian standards for an alloy of a certain precious metal. In such cases, the State Assay Inspectorate brands the product according to the nearest lower established sample. If the content of the precious metal in the imported product does not correspond to even the lowest standard established by the state, the stamp is not put.

How is jewelry tested?

All samples of precious metal alloys are strictly regulated and controlled by the state. That is why every piece of jewelry must pass the control of the State Trial Supervision Inspection. After checking, if the product meets the stated requirements, it is stamped with numbers indicating the sample. If there is no assay mark on the product, its quality raises fair doubts.

The state assay mark is put by the electrospark or laser method by state inspections of assay supervision.

What are the samples of precious metals?

To date, the most widely used are two systems for testing products made from precious metal alloys. The carat system, which has German roots, is used abroad for gold alloys. The content of pure gold is determined by the number of carats (1 carat equals 9.7 g) in one "Cologne mark" (233.8 g). Pure gold will have a hallmark of 24 carats. And the 18 carat sample will mean that the alloy contains 18 carats of pure gold and 6 carats of ligature. There are alloys of 9.14, 18 and 22 carats. This system has nothing to do with the system for measuring the mass of precious stones.

In Russia, since 1927, the metric testing system has been used. It is much easier to understand it: the number on the sample means the number of grams of pure precious metal in one kilogram of the alloy.

Currently, GOST R 53197-2008 is in force, according to which the following samples are taken in Russia:

375, 500, 585, 750, 958, 999 and 999.9.
800, 830, 875, 925, 960, 999.
Platinum: 850, 900, 950, 990.
Palladium: 500, 850, 900, 950, 990.

How to read a sample on a piece of jewelry?

The brand consists of identification marks and hallmark marks, which can be affixed together (in a single outline) or separately.

Since 1958, the badge of the certificate has been an image of a hammer and sickle against the background of a five-pointed star. Since 1994, the Russian Federation has established an identification mark, which is a profile of a female head in a kokoshnik, turned to the right.

In addition to the stamp with a woman's head and the designation of the sample, there is another letter cipher on the product - the name. The first letter tells about the year of manufacture of the product. This value was introduced in 2001, and the letter "A" corresponded to this year. Subsequent years are listed in alphabetical order. A product manufactured in 2015 will have a code starting with the letter "P". Products manufactured before 2001 had numbers and signs in the cipher.

The second letter of the personal name indicates which particular inspection of the assay supervision was stamped, depending on the area in which the production is located. So, for example, the Moscow Region State Inspectorate of Assay Supervision in the city of Bronnitsy is marked with the letter "B".

The next two characters in the nameplate are the manufacturer's code. The Assay Office recommends that manufacturers use no more than two letters of the Russian alphabet.

Where should the sample be?

Imprints of the personal name and assay mark are placed on the inner surface of the rim of the rings, on the details of the fasteners on earrings, brooches and chains, on the outside of the ear of pendants and pendants.

Hallmarks of products of the brand "Bronnitsky Jeweler"

Products made of precious metals have three degrees of protection, which can be used to verify their authenticity and quality.

, registered by the Assay Supervision Inspectorate of the State Assay Chamber of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.
The brand mark is updated every year and it is possible not only to confirm the brand of the product, but also to determine the year of manufacture of this product.
Stamp of the Inspectorate of Assay Supervision of the State Assay Chamber under the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.

Why are gold samples used and what do they mean? Why are other metals almost always added to gold? If the 79th element of the periodic system D.I. Mendeleev, in his simple state, fell into our hands - we would be, to put it mildly, surprised.

This is because gold in its purest form is a soft, extremely dense metal of an unsaturated color. It would be foolish to use it to create jewelry, and one could forget about the vaunted wear resistance of the “eternal value”. At one time, smart people came up with the idea of adding other metals to gold (an admixture of non-ferrous base metals is called a ligature) - the “solar” metal not only sparkled with other colors, but became more solid and of higher quality in operation.

To determine how much precious metal is contained in the alloy, a sample system was introduced.

Gold sample (from English. probe, assay) - the definition of a ligature in gold, as well as special signs (brands) that are imposed by control institutions to guarantee the content of precious metals in products.

The law strictly controls not only the jewelry itself, but also the institutions that sell them. Therefore, before you find out, make sure you have a license and other documents that regulate the activities of the office.

To date, 4 operating systems of samples have been preserved, the most popular are the metric and carat systems.

Carat sampling system

1 carat is equal to one twenty-fourth of the mass of the alloy, according to the British carat system (it is common in the USA, Switzerland and other countries). 24 carat gold (24K) is pure, it does not contain any impurities, 14 carat gold (14K) respectively contains 14 parts of gold and 10 parts of other metals. Jewelers use samples of 9, 10, 14, 18 and 24 carats for products.

Metric

1927 was marked for our country by the transition to the metric system of samples, the share of precious metal here is determined by the number of grams in one kilogram of jewelry alloy. For example, in 1000 g of an alloy of 750 samples, there are 750 grams of noble metal and 250 g of other impurities, or ligature. Our jewelers use 375, 500, 585, 750, 900, 916, 958 samples to make gold items.

Previously, there was also a 583 gold sample, which corresponded to the western one, equal to 14 K, however, the western one was slightly higher than the domestic one. Then a proposal was made to slightly change the classical gold standard from 583 to 585, all so that our products would not be inferior to Western ones in terms of value per gram of gold.

By the way, exchanges are not inferior in popularity to many common currency pairs in trading.

Relationship between gold assay systems

Metric	999	958	750	585	583	500	375
Carat sampling system	24	23	18	14	14	12	9
Share of pure gold	99,9%	95,8%	75%	58,5%	58,3%	50%	37,5%

375 test- the alloy contains only 38% gold (the bulk is silver and copper), the color varies from yellow to red, the alloy tarnishes in air, because iron sulfide is formed on the surface.

500 test- contains 50.5% gold (the rest of the alloy is silver and copper), low-cast.

585 sample- an alloy containing 59% gold (ligature metals - silver, copper, palladium, nickel), is hard, durable, does not tarnish in air, lends itself well to forging, therefore it is widely used by jewelers in industry.

750 sample-75.5% gold is contained in this alloy (the main components are silver, platinum, copper, palladium, nickel), the color palette is also very diverse: colors vary from bright green to red in all shades. Due to its hardness, strength, ease of processing, it is widely used for making jewelry.

958 test- the alloy contains 96.3% pure gold, is practically not used for the production of jewelry, it is soft and unsaturated in color. The cost of 958 gold is higher compared to other gold samples.

999 proof- in fact, pure gold, "pure" - as our ancestors would say. Soft metal, prone to deformation, is not used in the jewelry industry. Although before the revolution of 1917, wedding rings were made from it in our country, which could be appreciated by the “new Russians” of the mid-90s - they were so thick, massive and weighed decently - more than 8 grams. 999 samples, of course, the highest.

Legislative regulation

In our country, the gold content in the product is controlled by the state through the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated June 18, 1999 No. 643 "On the procedure for testing and branding products made of precious metals."

If the product is manufactured in the Russian territory or intended for import, it must have a state assay mark and a Russian sample. To ensure that the gold content clearly corresponds to the specified sample, the Federal Assay Supervision monitors.

The Russian State Assay Office under the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation is responsible for the testing and hallmarking procedure. Russian jewelry is stamped with the image of a woman's head in a kokoshnik.

On the products of domestic jewelers, in addition to the imprint of the assay mark of the State Inspectorate, there must be an imprint of the manufacturer's name. The brand of the manufacturer is called the name, on which the first digit means the year of branding, the second icon (letter) is the code of the State Inspectorate responsible for branding. The rest of the letters encoded the name of the manufacturer.

All jewelry must be tested. The main types of samples: spool, metric, carat.

Spool test was used in Russia until 1927 and was determined by the number of precious metal spools in a pound of alloy (the spool was 4.266 g of gold, the pound is 96 spools or 409.5 g).

Metric proof adopted for use in 1922, but actually began to be used since 1927. The metric test means the amount of precious metal in 1000 weight units of the alloy and is indicated by a three-digit number.

So, gold of the 583rd metric test means that in 1000 g there is 583 g of chemically pure gold, the remaining 417 g are ligature metals.

Carat samples and the word “gold” are indicated on gold imported products. If the products are marked “gold-feld”, then this means that the product is made of a certain alloy with gold plating; at the same time, the manufacturer indicates the sample of gold and the thickness of the deposition.

If such a product is made in Germany, then the explanatory marking "Goldmult" - "painted in gold" is indicated on it.

For silver, there are lot, metric and spool samples. If the product was made at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 20th century, the assay mark is in the spool system (samples 78; 84; 90). If the product was produced before the end of the 20th century, then it was marked with Roman numerals - a lot test. Since 1927 silver

Table The ratio of metric, spool and carat samples of gold.

Marking (branding) of articles made of precious metals is regulated by the following regulations:

- Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 2, 1992 No. 1152 "Regulations on samples and branding of products from precious metals in the Russian Federation";

- Decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation of February 12, 1993 No. 114 yot of June 15, 1994. No. 684.

In accordance with these documents, the sale of jewelry items is carried out only if they have imprints of the state hallmarks of the Russian Federation.

The personal name is an imprint of the manufacturer's mark, consisting of numbers and letters. The number indicates the year of manufacture, and the letter indicates the symbol of the manufacturer. Details are indicated on the label of products made of precious metals: on the front side - the name and trademark of the manufacturer, the name of the product, the code of the product, the article number, the name and sample of the precious metal, the weight of the product in grams. On the reverse side - the size of the ring, bracelet, chain, the name of the material of the inserts, the designation of the standard.

Labels are attached with white thread and sealed.

Jewelry has all-Russian article numbers.

The first digit is the product material group, the second and third are the product group, the fourth and fifth are the insert material, the subsequent digits from 01 to 99 are the serial number. For example: art. 101011 - 1 - material - gold; 01 - watch bracelet; 01 - without insertion, 1 - serial number.

Marking (branding) of products made of precious metals in our country is regulated by a number of regulations: Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 2, 1992 No. 1152 "Regulations on samples and branding of products made of precious metals in the Russian Federation" and decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation of February 12, 1993. No. 114 and dated June 15, 1994 No. 684.

In accordance with the latest document, the sale of products made of precious metals and precious stones is carried out only if they have imprints of the names of the manufacturers and imprints of the state hallmarks of the Russian Federation.

Foreign-made products imported from abroad must also have imprints of the state assay marks of the Russian Federation, affixed by the territorial state inspections of assay supervision of the Russian Federation.

Certain types of jewelry and other household items made of precious metals and precious stones, which, in accordance with the current legislation, are not subject to branding with the state hallmark of the Russian Federation, but are intended for sale, must have a quality certificate.

All products made of precious metals produced in our country, as well as products imported from abroad for sale, must necessarily correspond to one of the samples valid in Russia and have a stamp. Control over the fulfillment of this condition is carried out by special services called the Assay Supervision Inspections of the Ministry of Finance of Russia.

Marking - branding of jewelry - has its own specifics, which in different periods was reflected in the rules of branding.

The state assay mark is a special sign minted on products or superimposed in a non-mechanical way (electrospark or laser) by state inspections of assay control. It means that the product has been checked by the state inspection and has a sample not lower than that indicated in the stamp.

The state assay hallmark consists of an identity mark and a hallmark mark, which can be affixed together (in one image) or separately.

Since 1958, the badge has been an outline of a star with a hammer and sickle. This badge is still in use today, although since 1994 Russia has had an identity badge in the form of a female head in a kokoshnik and in profile, turned to the right. Sketches of hallmarks for gold, silver, platinum and palladium items are shown in fig.

Main hallmarks for hallmarking:

a - gold products; b - silverware; in - products from platinum; d - products from palladium; e - books with gold leaf

Sample - the amount of pure precious metal in the alloy. As you know, there are several sample systems - spool, lot, carat and metric. For Russia, the main system is metric.

For jewelry in Russia, the following samples are established:

For gold: 375, 500, 585, 750, 958 and 999.-I;

For silver: 800,830, 875, 925, 960 and 999th;

For platinum: 850, 900 and 950th;

For palladium: 500, 850;

For gold dental discs: 900 and 916th;

For gold and silver leaf: from the 910th to the 1000th every 10 samples, i.e. 910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 970, etc.;

For green gold leaf: 750th.

Gold and silver leaf are thin leaves 91.5x91.5 or 120x70 in size (in mm) and 1-3 microns thick. Thin leaves are stitched into booklets of 60 sheets, the weight (weight) of which, depending on the size of the leaves, can be from 1.25 to 2.5 g. objects and other purposes.

Assay supervision inspectorates stamp products with hallmarks of the established sample, which contain a code assigned to each inspection.

Assay control inspectorates use state assay marks of the established form when branding jewelry. Assay hallmarks are divided into two groups according to their purpose: basic and additional.

The main hallmarks certify the compliance of the product with the requirements of assay supervision. Additional hallmarks are used for branding easily detachable and detachable parts, or for branding jewelry that does not correspond to the declared sample.

The main marks are as follows:

1. Stamp in the form of a spatula - for gold and platinum items manufactured before 1994. It consists of a certificate mark, an inspection code and one of the established samples for gold (platinum) items.

2. Stamp in the form of a figure with convex opposite horizontal sides - for silver items. The stamp consists of the sign of the certificate, the code of the inspection and one of the established samples.

3. Rectangular stamp with truncated corners - for hallmarking platinum items manufactured after 1993.

4. Stamp of truncated oval shape - for palladium items. It consists of a certificate mark, an inspection code and one of the established samples.

5. Hallmarks are double-sided, round - for gold, silver, platinum and palladium items and watches with seals suspended from them. These stamps consist of two separate parts, i.e., a certificate mark with the inspection code and a round mark with the numbers of one of the established samples.

6. Stamp of an oblong shape with rounded corners - for branding (on sealing wax) books with gold leaf and silver leaf. Such a stamp consists of a certificate mark, an inspection code and one of the established samples: 910, 920, 930, ..., 980, 990 and 1000th; 750th.

Additional assay hallmarks have no independent significance and when branding articles made of precious metals they are used only in combination with one of the main assay hallmarks. Additional marks are as follows:

Scheme of additional imprints of assay marks for hallmarking:

a - detachable products made of precious metals (from the same metal, but different samples, or different metals); b - products that do not match the sample, and products that, after restoration, turned out to be below the established sample.

1. Rectangular stamp with rounded corners - for detachable and easily detachable secondary and additional parts of gold, silver, platinum and palladium items of one of the established samples.

2. A stamp of a rectangular shape with rounded corners and the letters "NP" (does not match the sample) - for products after restoration that are below the established sample.

This stamp is put on products in combination with a certificate mark, as well as on products made of gold, silver, platinum and palladium, presented by the manufacturer for branding, but not corresponding to the declared sample (going beyond the permissible deviation).

Items made of precious metals may be affixed with an additional brand of the manufacturer, containing no more than four characters. If the products contain visible parts made of non-precious metals, then they are imprinted with the mark "metal", "melch", "stainless".

On restored items made of precious metals, next to the name sign of the manufacturer, the letter “r.” (restoration).

Permissible deviations from the samples declared by the manufacturer (under which the inspection can hallmark jewelry) are as follows:

For gold items - no more than ± 5 points of standard;

For silver products, for alloy together with solder, when it is not possible to take a sample (chains, hollow products, small filigree products, etc.), - no more than ± 15 points of the sample;

For platinum products - no more than ± 10 sample points;

For palladium products - no more than ± 15 sample points;

For gold leaf and silver leaf - no more than ± 5 fineness points;

For gold dental discs - no more than ± 2 points of the sample.

Products of artistic work, with enamel, hollow and other objects that are not available for imposing an imprint of a hallmark on them, are branded on the attached seals with hallmarks.

As a rule, an imprint of the assay mark should be placed on the right side of the manufacturer's name.

The personal name is a framed combination of numbers and letters of the abbreviated name of the enterprise and the year of manufacture of the product.

All jewelry made of precious metals presented to the Assay Supervision Inspectorate must have an imprint of the name of the manufacturer of the products.

Jewelry Manufacturer Name Scheme:

1 - a place for the location of signs indicating the year of issue; 2 - a place for the code of the state inspection, in the area of \u200b\u200bactivity of which the enterprise is located; 3 - signs indicating the manufacturer; 4 - example - "6 MYUR" - a personal name affixed by the Moscow Experimental Jewelry Plant (YUR), located in the area of the Central State Inspectorate for Assay Supervision (M), on products made in 1996 (6)

An experienced jeweler can determine the time of manufacture of the item by the location of the signs in the name-list and the hallmark of a piece of jewelry. Hallmarking of jewelry in the USSR began in 1926-1927.

On January 1, 1953, new rules for branding jewelry made of precious metals were introduced. In the personal names (1953-1958), the last digit of the year of manufacture is located after the cipher of the manufacturer. Hallmark: the head of a worker with a hammer, the inspection code is a letter of the Greek alphabet.

On June 1, 1958, a transition was made to new hallmarks. In the names, the last digit of the year of manufacture is located after the cipher of the manufacturer. Hallmark: a convex star with a convex hammer and sickle on it; inspection code - a letter of the Russian alphabet.

In the personal names (1963-1968), the last digit of the year of manufacture is located after the cipher of the manufacturer, as in the period 1953-1958.

You can determine the full year of manufacture by the assay mark:

In 1953-1958. - "the head of a worker with a hammer";

In 1958-1993. - "Hammer and sickle against the background of a five-pointed star."

In 1969-1978. in the names, the last digit of the year of manufacture is located before the cipher of the manufacturer.

In 1979-1989. in names, the last digit of the year with a dot in front of it is located before the manufacturer's code.

From 1988 to the present, in all names after the last digit indicating the year of manufacture, there is a letter indicating the code of the inspection in whose area the enterprise is located.

You can determine the year of manufacture (1979 or 1989) by the name of the enterprise:

In 1979 - in the name lists, the last digit of the year with a dot in front of it is located before the cipher of the manufacturer;

In 1989 - in the personal names, the last digit of the year with a dot in front of it is located before the cipher of the inspection in the area of \u200b\u200bwhich the manufacturer is located, then the cipher of the enterprise is located.

In 1990-1999 in names, the last digit of the year is indicated with two vertical dots in front of it; located before the manufacturer's code.

Since 1994, instead of a five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle, an identification mark in the form of a female head in a kokoshnik and in profile, turned to the right, has been installed in the hallmark.

For products manufactured since January 1, 2000, a new name has been introduced. The first character of the personal name is a letter denoting the cipher of the Assay Supervision Inspectorate. The second character is the number "0". The next sign is the manufacturer's code - a combination of letters of the Russian alphabet. The last sign of the name is the dot at the top.

From 2001 to the present, in the personal names, the last digit of the year of manufacture is indicated by the capital letter of the Russian alphabet (“A” - 2001, etc.) and is located before the cipher of the assay supervision inspection, which is located before the cipher of the manufacturer. All signs of the personal name must be enclosed in a single rectangular outline.

Scheme of the name of a product made in 2002 by the Moscow Experimental Jewelry Factory, located in the area of the Central State Inspectorate for Assay Supervision

Names and hallmarks should not impair the appearance of the product.

Products from precious metals of artistic work, hollow, with enamel and others, if it is impossible to imprint a stamp and name on them, they are branded on soldered plates of the same material the size of a stamp.

Dents, scratches and other defects formed during branding must be corrected by the manufacturer without damaging the stamp.

In accordance with the Federal Law of March 26, 1998 No. 41-FZ "On Precious Metals and Precious Stones", Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 643 of June 18, 1999 "On the Procedure for Testing and Hallmarking Products from Precious Metals" all manufactured in the territory Russian Federation, as well as jewelry imported into its territory for sale, must comply with approved samples and be branded with a state hallmark.

Testing and hallmarking of jewelry and other household items made of precious metals in the Russian Federation is carried out by the Russian State Assay Office under the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. Sale of jewelry and other household items made of precious metals that do not correspond to any of the established samples is not allowed.

Hallmarks for different precious metals have different shapes, but each must have a certificate mark (since 1994 - the profile of a woman's head in a kokoshnik, turned to the right), a digital designation of the alloy sample and the cipher of the state inspection of assay supervision in the form of a letter, a dot or a slash . The presence of this brand on products made of precious metal alloys indicates that the alloy corresponds to the specified sample. The stamp in the form of a spatula is used for hallmarking jewelry made of gold alloys; in the form of a polyhedron - for hallmarking jewelry made of platinum alloys; in the form of a barrel - for branding jewelry made of silver alloys; in the form of a truncated oval - for hallmarking jewelry made of palladium alloys.

Organizations and individual entrepreneurs that make jewelry from precious metals are required to have names registered with the territorial inspections of assay supervision and put their imprints on the products they produce.

For example, the first sign of the personal name in 2000 was the letter denoting the cipher of the state inspection in the area of activity of which the manufacturer is located, the second sign of the name was the number "0". The next two characters (letters) denoted the manufacturer's code. The last sign of the name was a dot at the top.

Since 2001, the name code has been a combination of four letters of the Russian alphabet. The first sign of the personal name should be the initial capital (capital) letter of the Russian alphabet - "A", which is the cipher of the first year of the third millennium. The letters of the Russian alphabet: "B", "C", "G" are the cipher of 2002, 2003, 2004. respectively. The second sign of the personal name is the capital letter of the Russian alphabet, which is the cipher of the state inspection, in the area of \u200b\u200bwhich the manufacturer is located. The next two characters - capital letters of the Russian alphabet - are the manufacturer's code. All signs of the personal name must be enclosed in a single outline, the form of which is independently determined by the state inspectorate of assay supervision.

According to the state assay marks and the name on the product, it is possible to determine the sample of the alloy, the type of precious metal, the year of manufacture of the product, the manufacturer and the regional state inspection of assay supervision that branded this product.

In accordance with federal law No. 43-F3 "On Precious Metals and Precious Stones" and in order to protect the rights of consumers of jewelry and other household products made of precious metals, the rights of manufacturers of these products from unfair competition, as well as in order to protect the interests of the state, the Government Decree of the Russian Federation dated June 18, 1999 No. 643, it was established that all jewelry and other household items made of precious metals manufactured in the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as these items imported into the territory of the Russian Federation for sale, must comply with the samples defined by this resolution and be tested and branded with the state hallmark.

Products belonging to the class of jewelry and made of precious metal (alloy) are subject to testing and hallmarking. The state assay mark is a sign that is minted on products or superimposed in a non-mechanical way (electrospark or laser) by state inspections of assay supervision.

According to their purpose, stamps are divided into basic and additional. The main hallmarks certify that the precious alloy complies with one of the established standards. Additional hallmarks serve either for hallmarking detachable and easily detachable secondary parts of jewelry, or are used when the product contains several different alloys.

It would not be correct to speak of the state hallmark as a sample, that is, only as the content of the precious metal in the alloy. The brand is not only a characteristic of the content of precious metal in the alloy, not only a characteristic of the quality of the alloy, its resistance to the environment, the safety and durability of the product, but also carries a lot of other information. The state assay mark is necessary to control the consumption and use of precious metals. In addition, the presence of the Russian state hallmark on the product is perceived throughout the world as a sign of the high quality of jewelry made of precious metals.

Testing and hallmarking of jewelry and other household items made of precious metals in the Russian Federation are carried out by the Russian State Assay Chamber under the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, formed in accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated February 2, 1998 No. 106 “On the Russian State Assay Chamber”.

The state assay mark consists of identification marks, assay marks and the cipher of the territorial inspection, which can be affixed together in a single outline (main state assay mark) or separately (additional hallmarks).

The state assay mark consists of the following elements.

Stamp form

Each type of precious alloy has its own stamp shape (Fig.): in the form of a spatula - for gold; a barrel - for silver, a polyhedron - for platinum, a truncated cone with a semicircular base - for palladium.

Sketches of state hallmarks: 1 - for gold; 2 - for silver; 3 - for platinum; 4 - for palladium products.

(For hallmarks of the Soviet period, the shape of the hallmark for platinum was the same as for gold, i.e. “spade”. Since the content of pure noble metal for gold and platinum alloys was different (non-repeating), the sample identified the base metal.) The content of pure precious metal metal in the alloy is determined by the breakdown. Hallmarking of jewelry is carried out in many countries. At the same time, each country (often by law) establishes its own samples of precious metals. Currently, in most countries, the metric system is used and the carat system of samples is preserved.

The metric system shows how many mass parts of the precious metal are contained in 1,000 mass fractions of the alloy.

In the carat system, the content of the precious metal in the alloy is determined by the number of carats. Carat (kt) is a conventional measure of the precious metal content of an alloy or piece of jewelry. In this system, the entire mass of a gold ingot or piece of gold is taken to be 24 parts, then pure gold corresponds to 24 carats. For example, an 18-carat test means that the alloy contains 18 parts of gold and 6 parts of alloy.

The content of pure noble metal in the alloy (sample)

In pre-revolutionary Russia and the USSR, until 1927, a spool system of samples was used, in which the content of pure gold or silver in one pound of the alloy was determined by the number of spools. It was an exclusively Russian sample system. One pound of pure metal was equal to 96 spools. Hence, the pure metal corresponded to the 96th sample, the 72nd sample of gold meant that one pound of the alloy contained 72 spools of pure gold and 24 spools of the ligature. Currently, spool assays are still found in antique products.

Ratio of jewelry sample systems

From Table. some discrepancy between the spool samples and the metric ones is visible. This is explained by the fact that quite specific samples were installed in the spool system for the manufacture and hallmarking of gold and silver items.

In most foreign countries, pure gold (24 kt) and alloys of 22-, 18-, 14-, 9- and 8-karat samples are used for the manufacture of jewelry.

There are countries that use sampling systems that are an exception to the generally accepted world system. For example, in Hungary, conventional numerical designations of a metric sample from 1 to 4 are used: the number 1 is branded with gold items of the 986th sample, the number 2 - respectively the 900th sample, the number 3 - the 750th and the number 4 - the 585th sample. For silver products, the number 1 corresponds to the 925th sample, the numbers 2 - the 900th, 3 - the 835th, 4 - the 800th.

In the literature one can find references to the lot system of samples, which was once used in Germany to indicate the silver content in products. Pure silver corresponded to 16 lots, i.e., the 16th test. One lot was equal to 6 spools.

Since during the smelting of alloys it is technically difficult to maintain the exact content of the precious metal in the alloy, a certain maximum deviation from the norm, called the remedium, is considered acceptable. Until January 1, 1999, i.e. before the introduction of GOST 51152-98, a remedium equal to ±3 units was established in gold-silver, gold-copper and gold-silver-copper alloys; in gold alloys containing nickel, the remedium was ±5 units. However, only a positive remedium was provided in the gold alloy of the 585th test. In silver alloys, the established remedium was ±3 units. Such relatively tight tolerances forced Russian manufacturers to prepare fairly "strict" alloys for making jewelry. The new standard establishes only a positive remedium equal to 5 units for all alloys.

Identification mark

The Russian certificate mark indicates that this product was tested and branded in the territorial inspection of assay supervision at the Russian State Assay Chamber. The modern Russian identity badge is a female head in a kokoshnik, turned to the right. It has been installed since 1994.

Currently, the badge of the USSR identity card is also in circulation, which was an image of a hammer and sickle against the background of a five-pointed star, which was introduced on June 1, 1958.

On products made before 1958, you can see the identification mark in the form of a “hammer” (from 1927 to 1958) or a female head in a kokoshnik, which can be turned in any direction (from 1896).

Code of Assay Supervision Inspection

In the contour of the main assay hallmark, next to the sign of the certificate, the cipher of the territorial inspection of assay supervision is applied - since 1958 in the form of letters of the Russian alphabet or dots and dashes. On products branded in an earlier period, the inspection code was indicated in the form of letters of the Greek alphabet. The cipher of the Assay Supervision Inspection shows which territorial inspectorate carried out the testing and branding of this product, therefore the elements of the cipher are located in a strictly defined place for each specific Assay Supervision Inspection. So, for the Central Inspectorate for Assay Supervision, in the lower left corner of the hallmark there may be the letter “m” or a dot in the upper left corner.

In addition to the state assay hallmark, items manufactured in the territory of the Russian Federation are affixed with the mark of the manufacturer (or personal name), which has been used in Russia since 1937.

A personal name is an imprint of the manufacturer's mark, affixed to all Russian products and containing individual signs (code) of the manufacturer and signs certifying the year of manufacture of the product and the territorial inspection of assay supervision on the territory of which the manufacturer is registered.

Schematic representation of the state hallmark for products made of gold alloys of the 750th test: 1 - code of the territorial inspection of assay supervision (Central inspection of assay supervision); 2 - certificate mark; 3 - test mark.

Name signs must be enclosed in a single outline. The shape of the contour is established for each specific territorial inspection of assay supervision.

Sketches of a personal name for 2009 for TsGIPN: 1 - non-spark branding; 2 - spark branding.

For 2001, the following type of it was approved. The first character should be the initial capital, i.e. the capital letter of the Russian alphabet "A", which indicates that the product belongs to the year 2001 of manufacture. On the names approved for branding in 2002, the first character should be the capital letter "B", approved for branding in 2003 - the capital letter "C", etc. The letters Y, Zh, Y when analyzing the year of manufacture of the product are excluded. The second sign of the personal name is the letter of the Russian alphabet, denoting the cipher of the territorial inspection, in the area of \u200b\u200bactivity of which the manufacturer is registered. For example, the letter “M” corresponds to the Central State Inspectorate for Assay Supervision, the Central State Inspectorate for Assay Supervision, whose scope of activity covers the regions of Central Russia, Moscow and Leninsk (the Baikonur complex in the Republic of Kazakhstan). The next one or two letters indicate the cipher of a particular manufacturer (for example, "KMYAG" - LLC "Edem", "VMYu" - JSC MEYUZ "Yuvelirprom"), the dot previously used in the name list is excluded.

State inspections of assay supervision

Name of state inspections of assay supervision	Areas of activity	Letter cipher

Verkhne-Volzhskaya (village Krasnoe-on-Volga, Kostroma region)	Ivanovo, Kostroma, Yaroslavl regions
Volga-Vyatskaya (Nizhny Novgorod)	Republic of Mordovia, Republic of Mari El, Republic of Tatarstan, Chuvash Republic, Vladimir, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod and Penza regions
East Siberian (Krasnoyarsk)	Republic of Tyva, Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk Region, Ust-Orda Buryat, Evenk, Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) Autonomous Districts
Dalnevo wastewater (Khabarovsk)	Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, Amur, Kamchatka, Magadan and Sakhalin Regions, Koryak and Chukotka Autonomous Okrugs, Jewish Autonomous Region
Donskaya (Rostov-on-Don)	Republic of Adygea, Republic of Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Chechen Republic, Astrakhan, Volgograd and Rostov Regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories
Zabaikalskaya (Ulan-Ude)	Republic of Buryatia, Chita region, Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug
Western (Kaliningrad)	Kaliningrad region

West Siberian (Novosibirsk)	Republic of Altai, Altai Territory, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk regions
Volga (Ufa)	Republic of Bashkortostan, Orenburg, Samara, Saratov and Ulyanovsk regions
Podmoskovnaya (Bronnitsy)	Moscow (Bronnitsy, Voskresensky, Egorevsky, Zaraisky, Kolomensky, Lukhovitsky, Ramensky and Luberetsky districts), Ryazan and Tambov regions
Caspian (Makhachkala)	Republic of Dagestan, Republic of Kalmykia
In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia, Yakutsk)	The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Northern „ (Veliky Ustyug)	Republic of Komi, Arkhangelsk and Vologda regions, Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Severo-Zapadnaya (St. Petersburg)	Republic of Karelia, Leningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod, Pskov regions, St. Petersburg
Uralskaya (Yekaterinburg)	Udmurt Republic, Kurgan, Perm, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk regions, Komi-Permyatsky, Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs
Central (Moscow)	Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Moscow (with the exception of areas transferred to the Moscow region inspection), Oryol, Smolensk, Tver, Yaroslavl regions, Moscow, Leninsk

Any other signs (including the manufacturer's trademark, copyright protection mark, etc.) must not be present in the name outline.

Territorial inspectorates independently determine the shape of the outline of the personal name, which should be the same for all manufacturers located in the territory of the GIPN. A distinctive feature of the nameplate of the spark branding method is the vertical lines on top between the outline of the nameplate and its signs, as well as a horizontal line in front of the top.

The imprint of the personal name is applied next to the imprint of the assay mark on that place of the product, which, on the one hand, is hidden when viewed from the front, but on the other hand, is clearly visible when the product is comprehensively examined. For example, on rings, these signs are applied on the inside of the shank (rim) opposite the top, on earrings, brooches, chains - on the details of the lock, on pendants - on the outside of the pendant ring, etc.

As practice shows, trade enterprises do not always comply with ethical standards. Today you can buy products with a fake name and a fake stamp of any territorial assay inspection. With the level of development of modern technology, the forgery of assay marks and signs of a personal name is technologically not a difficult task. For example, in the first half of 2007, inspectors from the Assay Office of the Russian Federation found approximately 1.2% of items with false marks and about 6.5% of items without marks at all out of the total number of checked items. Behind these insignificant percentages is a huge amount of jewelry, since about 10 million or more jewelry items pass through the Assay Office annually.

All jewelry with the use of precious metals circulating on the market must undergo assay hallmarking in the assay supervision inspections. Before branding, each product or part of the presented products of one batch is tested, i.e., the percentage of precious metal content is determined. After receiving a positive result, a hallmark is put on the products. Upon receipt of a negative result, the refusal to assay branding may apply to the entire submitted batch of products. Testing of products is also carried out by the inspection of assay supervision during inspections of jewelry stores, jewelry workshops, pawnshops, etc.

When testing, methods of both destructive and non-destructive testing are used. The most common and simple is the non-destructive testing method using a touchstone. This method gives good results. For example, a qualified expert (assayer) determines the alloy sample with an accuracy of two units, which is lower than the established remedium. Therefore, for practical purposes, along with simplicity and speed of testing, this method is convenient. However, to work with the touchstone, highly qualified specialists are required.

When a more accurate determination of the sample is required, the jewelry is subjected to chemical analysis, which is based on the determination of the pure metal content in the sample of the alloy by the method of quantitative chemical analysis. The amount of precious metal in the alloy, i.e., its sample, is determined by the mass of pure metal. When using this method, the integrity of the product is violated. In addition, it requires considerable time and special equipment.

Recently, special detectors have been increasingly used in operational analysis.

The industry produces various types of precious metal detectors, for example, Gold Detector GS 2532, Gold Detector WgD 00. All of them are portable, convenient and easy to use, reliable and give good results. Many of the detectors allow you to determine not only the gold content in the alloy, but also to distinguish metals - gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and also allow you to detect the presence of a gold coating on the metal. The principle of their operation is based on the fact that a metal product (conductor) is included in the electrical circuit, on which a drop of a special electrolyte is applied to the product under test from a probe-cartridge, also included in the electrical circuit. The electrolyte, interacting with the metal, changes the state of the electrical circuit. The degree of this change depends on the content of the precious metal in the alloy. Some types of detectors are equipped with a digital display that shows the test results. Other types are equipped with indicators that tell the tester which sample of gold in the metric and carat systems the item under test belongs to, whether the item belongs to a gold alloy at all, and whether it contains platinum. The entire test takes a few seconds.

Abroad, jewelry manufacturers can also put hallmarks on them, usually in the form of two-digit numbers, for example, “18 kt” or “14 kt”, which characterizes the carat of a precious alloy with or without a personal name. Many foreign countries have a state stigma. For example, in Switzerland it is an image of the head of a St. Bernard, in France - an eagle, in Ukraine - a trident, etc.

In order to facilitate international trade in precious metal products, a number of European countries have concluded an international convention (the Vienna Convention), the official sign of which "Balance" is called the "Common Hallmark". This brand is put at the request of the client and mainly on the cases of expensive watches. In 1991, the Emagold Association was created, which includes 120 largest jewelry manufacturers in leading European countries. She has a brand in the form of a rising sun.

In the name of the metals used in jewelry, there is the word "precious", so weighing is of great importance for them. The unit of mass for weighing precious metals is the gram. Weighing is carried out on electronic scales with an accuracy of 0.01 g. In international trade, when determining the mass of precious metals, a troy (pharmaceutical) ounce is used, equal to 31.103477 g.

Today, 14k gold is very popular in various fields. Precious metal is actively used for making jewelry or in the technical field. Earrings or chains delight owners with their attractive appearance, perfectly complement various sets of clothes and emphasize the status of the owner.

Many buyers are wondering what kind of gold is best to buy so that the jewelry is really worthwhile. What types of samples do exist and how to understand this issue for a person who does not have a sufficient level of qualification. All these issues will be discussed in the note as detailed as possible.

Pure gold (also called 1000 gold) has a completely different look that we are used to seeing in a jewelry store. Visually, the element called Au is a rather dull and very soft piece of an unknown substance. Completely absent brilliance and brightness, attractiveness. It is worth saying more, pure gold in nature in its natural form is extremely rare and people practically do not use it. The reason for this lies in one thing - the precious metal is not able to keep its shape due to its natural softness.

To correct the situation and make the substance more solid, people have learned to add special impurities. The proportion that is obtained with the ratio of gold to impurities, and determines the properties of the resulting composition. It is definitely impossible to say exactly which sample is the best, since each is used in different areas. The maximum fineness of gold is 999th. We are talking about 100% aurum with a minimum of additives.

In Soviet times, different types of gold items were in use, namely:

royal samples (usually jewelry);
Soviet gold, in the form of chervonets;
imported gold.

In the latter case, the specific gravity of the metal was measured not in grams, but in carats. The highest quality gold was considered to be a metal with a breakdown of 24 carats, and the lowest quality - 9 carats. Help in translating the American or British standard into the usual notation can be provided by a special gold standard table.

In Soviet times, when the industry was sufficiently developed, a special GOST was introduced for jewelry, where special designations began to be used. Similar hallmarks were affixed even on jewelry where gilding was used.

What does the sample depend on, and what is added to 585 gold?

Novice collectors and regular buyers of gold rings or earrings believe that the quality of the precious metal depends on the color. In other words, the richer the shade of the product and the stronger the thing, the better the gold. In fact, this opinion is erroneous and the color of the metal depends only on the volume of the material acting as an impurity.

Taking into account the added component, the metal sample is also determined. Various gold ligatures (additives) give the finished alloy certain shades of the finished item. Here are examples of what alloys are and how the composition of the impurity affects the color of the product:

a greenish tint and increased strength are given to the alloy by a silver impurity;
pure gold, pink-red tone comes out with the addition of copper;
nickel makes the metal pale yellow and is used to obtain the so-called white gold;
cadmium gives the alloy a light green;
zinc brightens gold and makes it light green;
palladium increases the strength of the metal and gives it a "flesh" tone;
platinum brightens Au585 more than other additives and almost completely removes yellowness.

The more impurities in the composition of the metal, the lower the sample. The presence of a small brand on a particular product will allow the buyer to establish the quality of the metal used and draw conclusions about the value of the item.

What should a gold test look like?

It is important to be aware of the most common sample designations in order to establish the quality of the product. In addition, gold can be bank or jewelry. The first is produced in ingots, and the second goes to the manufacture of "jewelry".

All jewelry and ingots that are truly made of precious metal must have a special mark or hallmark. This is called a test. The stamp can be easily seen through a magnifying glass and determine what quality of gold is in question and whether the product corresponds to the set price. Many buyers believe that 585 is considered to be a sufficiently high and high-quality breakdown. Products made from such a metal are wear-resistant and attractive in appearance. This cannot be said about things made of metal with a high content of aurum. Usually they quickly scratch and become uneven.

What is the standard of gold bullion?

Precious metal bullion is usually sold in banking institutions when citizens wish to invest their savings in the yellow metal. Here we are talking about pure gold and 999 samples are indicated on the bars of metal.

You can buy aururm in other samples, for example, 583 or 585, but this option is less common and the differences from pure gold are in the metal content.

What do the letters on the gold standard mean?

Sometimes people who are not versed in precious metals wonder which is better - gold standard 750 and 585? To establish the quality of the product, jewelers came up with a special marking - using three-digit numbers. Each designation tells what is the specific gravity of gold in one kilogram of the alloy.

The marking on the product says what kind of precious metal it is. For example, the lowest fineness for jewelry is 375, where only 37.5% of gold per 1000 grams. It is also the cheapest sample. If we are talking about gilding, then two stamps are put on the product at once: on silver (which is usually used at the base of the thing) and on gold plating.