Gold samples. How to choose jewelry and not be fooled.

We will tell you about the main assays of gold on the world market, what is their difference and what kind of gold will not lose its value over time.

Let's start with the most popular sample in our country:

585 PROOF (14K Gold)

To begin with, we will explain to you what a sample is - this is the percentage of pure gold in an alloy.
Those. 585 standart means 58.5% pure gold in jewelry (+ silver, copper...)
The 585 sample is the most widespread in Ukraine, all countries of the former USSR, as well as in Europe and the USA.
In Ukraine, it is the state standard - almost the entire gold market in our country has 585 fineness.
This gold is always valuable, you can always rent / sell such jewelry at a good price.

750 CAREFULLY (18K Gold, 75% pure gold in the alloy)

Absolutely ALL world jewelry brands (Bvlgari, Cartier, Boucheron, etc.) work with 750 samples.
Visually, there is practically no difference between 585 and 750 - white gold 585 and 750 looks exactly the same, red and lemon gold 750 has a slightly more saturated shade than 585 (see photo), but only a master jeweler can distinguish them when checking.
750 jewelry is about 30% more expensive than similar jewelry in 585.
Buying such jewelry is more of a matter of prestige.

999 CAREFULLY (24K Gold. 99.9% pure gold alloy)

Most often, ingots are made from it, coins are minted. Buying 999 gold is a profitable investment in the precious metal. By the way, we make our jewelry from 999 samples, independently ligating (diluting to 585 or 750), which gives us the best quality of the metal.

An interesting fact: do you know why rings and other jewelry are not made from 999 gold?
Because it is very soft :) For example, a 3 gram ring 999 can be easily bent in the hand.

Now let's talk about less common samples:

375 and 417 carat (9 and 10K Gold, 37.5% and 41.7% pure gold in the alloy respectively.)

375 PROBA - the so-called "Turkish gold", is considered low-grade and of poor quality.
In Ukraine, jewelry made of silver with overlays of gold 375 has recently become popular.
It is up to you to decide whether to buy it or not, but keep in mind that it quickly fades and has almost no value (you will not be able to hand it over to a pawnshop or sell it at a bargain price).

417 PROBAB - widely distributed in the USA, and these products are really beautiful, of good quality, and attractive at a bargain price.
But keep in mind that the 417 sample on the Ukrainian market is 99% China, so it will be very difficult to find a quality jewelry in this sample. And again - you will not be able to rent / sell it at a good price.

500 and 550 CAREFULLY (50% and 55% pure gold in the alloy respectively.)

Most often, this test is branded by those products that have not passed the test of the Assay Office and have not passed the 585 test. In 99% it is Turkey, China, "inflated" chains and bracelets.
Of the minuses - such gold cannot be processed, crumbles, breaks. Most likely, the pawnshop will not accept it from you, but the chances are 50/50. We, for example, will not accept.

583 assay value (58.3% pure gold in the alloy)

The same "Soviet", "Grandmother's" gold:)

The difference between 583 and 585 samples is minimal, almost non-existent. The 583 sample is still valued in the market, any pawnshop will accept such gold from you. Most of the jewelry is beautiful and high quality. Therefore, if you are a connoisseur of vintage jewelry, you can safely buy 583 samples. Just keep in mind - now they are not produced, so the products should be more than 20-25 years old.

IMPORTANT!

If you are sold a 583 sample and this is a new product, it means that the quality of the casting is poor, the 585 sample does not hold. There is nothing wrong with this, but you better know about it (there may be other problems with time)
Important point! Many Soviet jewelry included artificial rubies and alexandrites. There is nothing wrong with this, but if you are sold such a piece of jewelry at a VERY favorable price, claiming that the stone is natural - in 99% this is not true. If in doubt, contact a gemologist for verification.

Examples of rings in different colors of gold

Gold is not only beautiful and expensive jewelry, but also an investment in a precious metal that will not lose its value over time.
We hope that our article was useful for you, and now you know exactly what to look for when buying gold jewelry.

We are ready to share useful information with you all the time - write in the comments what you would like to read about and we will write an article in the near future.