All about the stamp on gold

Stamp on gold - an integral part of the product, which demonstrates that the jewelry is real. Each buyer should know what a real brand looks like, where it should be located and how to distinguish a real piece of jewelry from a fake one.

The stamp on gold is a special state sign that acts as a confirmation of the sample on the product. Each piece of jewelry made of precious metal must go through testing and branding without fail. With the help of this sign, the consumer will be able to understand from which alloy the selected jewelry was created, by whom it was made and when.

Branding is a mandatory procedure in almost every state. On the territory of Russia, the State Assay Office under the control of the Federal Assay Supervision is responsible for this action. The imprint is made according to a single sample, which is approved by government agencies. Branding is allowed only after the product has been verified for testing.

In other words, the state sign acts as a guarantor of the quality of the sold alloy... The buyer, seeing the brand, will be sure that the jewelry has already been checked by specialists and meets the declared characteristics. In the jewelry industry, there are several rules according to which branding is carried out. According to accepted standards, the stamp should not spoil the decoration, therefore it is placed in strictly defined places.

• On an inconspicuous part of the product. In rings - this is the back side, on the clasp, carabiners of other jewelry. In the pendants on the holders there is a branding.
• Several parts of one product will be sampled separately.
• When it comes to interior items, items with artistic value must have an additional plate made of a similar alloy. A stamp is affixed to it.

Assay supervision appeared in Russia in the 17th century. Jewelry was branded and tested in Moscow, in Serebryany Ryad. At that time, that place was the only one where it was possible to legally engage in the sale of precious metals. At the moment, not only jewelry is branded, but also other accessories made of precious metal. The assay office also carries out technical expertise, along with control analyzes of alloys and precious stones.

For the first time, a stamp on jewelry was fixed in the year 1651-1652. It was depicted an eagle with two heads, next to which was the production date. Initially, there were no marks of alloy quality on the stamp, but such imprints were placed only on jewelry with a fineness above the 83rd. Imported coins were often branded with a similar sign, which were later melted into jewelry.

Spool system of samples in Tsarist Russia took place until the modern one was introduced. A similar system was built on the Russian pound, which weighed 0.4 kg and contained 96 spools. Therefore, the product made of pure gold was endowed with 96 fineness.

The stigma of different countries may differ from each other, because each state creates its own sketch. For example, in Belarus, a bison is applied to represent a genuine precious metal. The following types of state signs were used on Russian gold.

• "Tee". Such a stamp was put up until 1896, it looked like a tee, on which the numbers intersected with the fineness, the year of issue, the coat of arms and the first letter of the name of the person checking. Until 1897, the sign had convex shapes. In the future, they began to make it depressed.

• In 1899, a new sign appeared that looks like girl in a kokoshnik in profile on the left side.

• From 1908 to 1927, jewelry began to be branded on the territory of Russia with the help of an imprint of a girl in a kokoshnik, but in the profile on the right... The sign was accompanied by a Greek letter. It was changed depending on the city.

• In 1927, the USSR began to affix head of a worker with a hammer.

• In 1958, they began to put on Soviet gold a brand that was called a quality mark in the USSR. It looked like a five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle inside. This mark was placed only on jewelry.

Already modern jewelry made of precious metals equips a female head in a kokoshnik with a profile... In the lower right corner, they put the letter-code of the state inspection from the assay supervision. Several probing systems are used in the jewelry industry. With the help of such a measurement, you can understand what concentration of gold is contained in a unit of alloy.

Such a system are used by foreign masters from European countries and the USA. The sample is put down in carats and shows how many fractions of pure precious metal are located in 24 parts of the alloy.

The most common option. It is relevant for many countries of the world, as well as for Russia. Used in Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Denmark, Latvia, Sweden and other countries.

Used in the Russian Empire, after which it was in demand in the Soviet Union. At this moment does not apply. The decryption is as follows: it shows how many units of gold there are in 96 parts of the alloy.

Such a system was used in the Middle Ages by Western European people: Celts, Germans and Scandinavians. In those days, most of the precious metals were measured with marks, which consisted of 16 lots.The sample demonstrates how many lots of precious metals are contained in one grade.

On products, in addition to the hallmark, the sample of gold must be indicated.

• 375 test Is the cheapest alloy. It contains only 37.5% of the precious metal, and the rest of the composition is silver with copper. The color of the decoration will depend on how much metal prevails in it.

• 385 test often used to create jewelry in Russia. Gold concentration 58.5%. The rest is silver in the amount of 33.5% and copper. The alloy is strong, yellow and reddish.

• White is popular now gold 585, which contains palladium with nickel.

• 750 assay value jewelry - this is the most expensive and high quality category. From such an alloy, you can make products with jewelry precision, due to the flexibility in processing. The concentration of gold in this alloy is 75%.

• 999 sample Is pure gold. The items will have the highest price. Differs in bright color and fragility. Similar raw materials are used in the manufacture of ingots.

Some companies, for example, Faberge, applied to their products personal marks... There are several variations of impressions. Items can be with the letters "К" or "КФ", on some items "FABERGE" or "TO FABERGE" are put.

The type of application may differ based on the following features of the product:

• the complexity of the job;
• features of the location of stones (if any);
• appearance;
• design.

There are the following ways.

It is considered a crude method that relies on fixing the mark by means of physical pressure... It will require the use of a vice in which the product is fixed, as well as jackhammers. The method is considered old, it was resorted to in the 17th century.

Mechanical application advantage lies in the good quality of the applied mark: it will not wear off after a while and does not harm the decoration. With this method, 80% of the products are stamped.

They will allow you to apply the brand more subtly. Due to this, the picture with the text is applied carefully by burning. Can be used even on fragile or very small jewelry. Applicable since 1967.

The work involved laser installations. The engraving is small and almost invisible. The brand is distinguished by its durability and endurance. However, one should immediately note the low performance of this method. The laser will not be able to brand more than 600 items. Among the advantages, the flexibility of this method is noted: the stamp is applied to either side of the decoration.

The nameplate must accompany the stamp and consist of the following information:

• individual manufacturer code;
• year of manufacture in letter form;
• the code of the state inspection of the assay service, which contains the initials of the manufacturer.

The nameplate itself is located in a rectangular frame, which is located not far from the brand. Knowing what this abbreviation contains, you can easily decipher the data about the product.

Previously, the stamp was affixed by hand, so it was quite difficult to buy a fake. Any jeweler could immediately see whether the real piece was in front of him or not. Today cases of forgery of stamps are widespread, so every buyer should know how to distinguish an original from a fake.

In order to study the brand on the product, you should use a magnifying glass with a large amount of magnification. It is recommended to thoroughly rinse the decoration in advance in order to remove dirt from the depressions of the mark. Fake brands are similar to real ones only externally, during the initial visual examination. But if you look closely at the details, you can immediately notice inconsistencies.

• The sample must be clear and even. If uneven numbers are present, this indicates that a fake is in the hands. But unevenness does not always indicate the unreliability of the sample, because some signs are applied manually. Although this phenomenon is considered an exception.
• The appearance of the stamp. Gold must have a stamp that meets the stated standards. For example, for a Russian product, a girl in a kokoshnik should be in the central part, numbers with a sample are applied on the right side, and the letters of the inspection that put down control on the left.
• On imported products the fineness is indicated in carats, and the Assay Office mark is placed next to the native mark.

How to distinguish a fake from an original gold jewelry - some useful tips in the video below.