Characteristics and distinctive features of 585 gold

In this material:

• What is a sample?
• Why exactly 58.5% content?
• How to distinguish 585 gold?
• Where is 585 standard yellow metal used?
• How to increase your savings with gold?
• Coin catalog

At all times, people have strived to own gold. This metal is a symbol of wealth and prosperity; its brilliance has always attracted and attracted attention.

Jewelry made from this noble metal is still valued today, because it serves as a kind of example of well-being and a measure of success. In the modern world, where everything is standardized, 585 gold has become the most popular alloy used to create jewelry. So let's figure out what these numbers mean and why this particular sample is so popular.

What is a sample?

Fineness is a generalized name for the percentage of precious metal in an alloy. That is, in essence, 585 standard means that the jewelry raw material contains 58.5% pure aurum, and the rest is ligature additives. These are metals that are added to an alloy in order to improve the user characteristics of the final product.

For example, 585 gold contains, in addition to the precious yellow metal, approximately 8% silver and about 33.5% copper. It would seem - why dilute pure, expensive metal? The answer is simple: in its pure form it is very soft, and if jewelry was made from 999 fineness, it would bend and break almost instantly. The copper in the alloy imparts hardness and also enhances the pleasant, warm color of the resulting jewelry material. Alloying additives are often:

• Copper (gives strength and a reddish tint);
• Silver (makes the product durable and gives shine);
• Nickel (added to white gold);
• Palladium (also an alloy in white gold);
• Rhodium (gives white gold a cool bluish tint);

In white gold of the same standard, the alloy metals are often palladium or nickel. This is why white gold has such a mesmerizing shine.

By the way, alloy 585 is also called “red” gold - royal chervonets were previously made from it. Since coins made from pure precious metal were quickly worn out, it was decided to create an alloy that would be more resistant to wear. Thus, the progenitor of modern 585 gold was obtained.

Tips for choosing gold jewelry

A few tips will help you make a successful purchase in a jewelry store:

1. It is necessary to study the certificate or passport of the product.
2. Carefully check the appearance of the product; for this you can ask the seller for a magnifying glass. The surface should be free of scratches, abrasions, and poor-quality polishing. All fastenings and inserts must be strong. In Russia, the return of jewelry is possible only if an undeclared defect is discovered, so you should carefully choose the size of the product.
3. You should not buy jewelry to invest money. Jewelry is very difficult to sell at market price. Pawnshops accept them for the price of scrap gold.
4. You should trust official documents; popular advice on determining the quality of a precious metal can be misleading. Even a specialist will not be able to correctly assess the quality of gold only by how the product looks.

Why exactly 58.5% content?

583 gold standard
In the modern world, everything is subject to standardization. This is a necessary measure, without which international trade cannot exist. Gold products also have world standards. All over the world, the British system is used as a basis, where the purity of the precious metal alloy is measured in carats. So, 585 standard exactly corresponds to 14 carat gold, from which jewelry is often made on our planet.

It is worth noting that in the USSR there was 583 jewelry standard, which contained, accordingly, 58.3% pure gold. This sample was placed on all products next to the Union's hallmark - a hammer and sickle against the background of a star. After the collapse of the USSR, it was decided to bring the standard in line with international standards, and therefore 0.2% gold was added to the alloy, and the hallmark was changed. Now the gold standard is marked by a woman in a kokoshnik looking to the right.

585 gold from different countries: how is it different?

When buying jewelry abroad, you should remember that not all countries have introduced global gold quality standards. In Russia, each product has a stamp, a passport, and the exact composition of the ligature. The same cannot be said about Turkey or Egypt, the most popular tourist destinations.

Egypt and Türkiye

Often Russians, after a holiday in Turkey, bring gold jewelry as souvenirs. Buyers are attracted by the unusual oriental design and low price, comparable to the cost of silver jewelry. Often such a purchase brings disappointment.

Expert opinion

Vsevolod Kozlovsky

6 years in jewelry making. Knows everything about samples and can identify a fake in 12 seconds

Turkish legislation does not regulate the jewelry industry and does not require mandatory stamping of jewelry. Moreover, some stores offer a service for stamping the alloy. Tourists risk purchasing beautiful costume jewelry instead of gold jewelry.

Even genuine items usually have a lower purity than what is stated by the seller. Real jewelry can only be purchased in large jewelry stores. However, the quality of Turkish gold is lower than that of European or domestic products.

There are no gold deposits in the country; all metal is imported. The cheapest, low-quality ligature is added to the imported gold, as a result of which the jewelry quickly darkens and often causes allergies.

Another trick that enterprising counterfeiters resort to is the combination of gold and non-precious alloys. For example, a chain may consist of links of different origins. It is not uncommon for gilded silver to be sold as gold.

In Egypt, they also often offer to buy cheap gold as a souvenir. However, local decorations do not meet international standards. In Russia they will not be accepted at a pawnshop. This is due to the fact that the Egyptians did not add silver and copper to the alloy, but brass.

In addition, you should be careful about products with stones. Local sellers usually assure tourists that the country is rich in them, which is why jewelry is cheap. In fact, there are no deposits of precious minerals in Egypt. Jewelers use imported material or fakes. You should only buy jewelry in large stores.

Italy

Italy is one of the leaders in the global jewelry market. There are two common hallmarks here - 585 and 750. On the products you can find a mark - 14 carats. Italian jewelry is a true work of art. The quality of the alloy is combined with a unique design and high-quality processing.

When purchasing such jewelry, you must check the certificate.

How to distinguish 585 gold?

Deciphering the hallmark of gold
If you are not a jeweler and you do not have any chemical reagents with you, then most likely you will not be able to distinguish a 585-carat product by eye. You need to focus on the sample stamped on the jewelry - this is a prerequisite for the production of all jewelry made from precious metals in our country. But if you want to purchase jewelry abroad, then this advice is unlikely to help you. There is no single mandatory mark, and each workshop applies the sample at its own discretion. In addition, the appearance of the hallmark can vary greatly among different jewelers.

It is also quite difficult to determine by color what grade of gold you have in your hands. When copper is added, the precious alloy acquires a reddish tint - this is typical for jewelry in our country. Behind the cordon, silver is often added for hardness, while copper is excluded. This alloy turns out to be light yellow in color, more similar to natural gold.

Application of this alloy

Grade 585 is the most popular jewelry alloy in Russia. All types of jewelry are made from it. It is also used as gilding of silver jewelry and high-quality costume jewelry made from base metals.

Advantages and disadvantages

The popularity of 585 sample is due to its advantages:

• sufficient strength for jewelry;
• lower price compared to high-grade gold;
• the necessary level of plasticity, allowing you to create complex patterns;
• a significant proportion of the ligature allows you to achieve a variety of shades.

585 sample has few disadvantages. Due to the fairly significant proportion of ligature, products of this grade may darken and become stained. Scratches may appear on their surface; this is typical for all gold jewelry.

Where is 585 standard yellow metal used?

Most often the precious metal is used:

• In the jewelry industry;

• In electronics;
• In the creation of religious objects and church accessories;
• In the chemical industry;
• As a means of preserving capital;

The most widespread use of this material is, of course, in jewelry production. Then comes the creation of church utensils, decorating domes, covering decorative elements, and similar purposes. Precious gold also has unique physical properties: it conducts current very well, is very resistant to chemicals, and is practically not subject to corrosion. This led to the widespread use of metal in the production of electronics and printed circuit boards, in the creation of special chemical glassware, and, of course, as a means of preserving accumulated values.

Recommendations for care, cleaning and storage

Gold jewelry requires regular care and careful handling. If you follow the basic rules, they will serve for many years:

1. It is necessary to store gold jewelry in individual cases and fabric bags. It is better to place chains in elongated boxes so that all the links are straightened and do not break.
2. From time to time, jewelry should be washed in warm water and soap. Do not use hard brushes or aggressive chemicals.
3. A special paste for cleaning gold jewelry, which can be purchased at a jewelry store, will help you get rid of darkening. It is better to trust the cleaning of antique and especially valuable jewelry to professionals.
4. Gold requires careful handling: it is better to remove jewelry during swimming, physical work, and sports.

How to increase your savings with gold?

Over time, the gold in the ingot does not become less, it will not burn in a fire, it will not turn into dust - it is practically eternal. Therefore, financial analysts around the world agree that gold as a tool for saving money is very promising. But you shouldn’t think that this also applies to jewelry: often, such products have a very high added value, and you are unlikely to be able to sell it at the same price as you bought it.

Most likely, if you need to quickly sell your reserves of precious metal in the form of products, only a jewelry pawnshop can help you, where the value of your jewelry will be assessed only by weight - like scrap gold. Only bank gold will be liquid in the matter of saving money - bullion has always been and will be in price!

Where can I buy or sell?

The safest place to buy jewelry is in jewelry stores. Products must have a certificate and passport. You can buy and sell gold in other places:

• in the online store;
• in a pawnshop;
• on Avito and similar resources with private advertisements;
• On the market.

In all these cases, the buyer has no guarantee of quality and cannot return the product if a defect is discovered. However, you can find antiques and jewelry here at lower prices.

Reviews

Anna

I have always preferred 585 sample – jewelry made from it is of good quality. I have never noticed them getting dark or stained. Yes, if you wear it constantly, small scratches will appear, but this is normal for gold.

Svetlana

Once I saw a photo on the Internet of an amazing gold set made in Italy: a ring, earrings and a necklace. They resembled lace or cobwebs. Since then, I have been a loyal fan of Italian jewelry houses. Yes, such things are more expensive than Russian ones, but they are very beautiful. And the quality is excellent.

Why “spoil” gold with other metals?

Gold is a beautiful, shiny metal that practically cannot be oxidized by anything (“noble”). The main problem is that it is too soft. A product made of pure gold can easily be damaged, scratched, or bent. Jewelers eliminate this annoying drawback by adding other metals to gold: iron, lead, copper, etc. In this way, they obtain gold-containing alloys with higher quality characteristics. Depending on the elements included in the alloy, the final product may have one or another shade. Its cost decreases and strength increases. In general, the ligature is a plus.