Characteristics and cost of 925 silver in Russia

The lack of awareness of the average person in the precious metals quotation system leaves room for scammers and unscrupulous sellers for speculation and substitution of concepts. And one of the most frequently asked questions is “is 925 gold or silver?” It is enough to plunge briefly into the topic of precious metals quotation to increase your competence in this matter and avoid unpleasant incidents.

Features of the sample

Absolutely all jewelry has a hallmark. It determines the weight content of precious metal in the alloy. There are several types of brands:

• spool;
• metric;
• carat

Until 1927, the spool test was used in the Russian Federation. It determined how many spools weighing 4.2 g were contained in a pound (96 elements) of the alloy. From that time until today, the metric mark has been used. It shows the number of parts of the precious metal in one thousand mass units. The carat type is used all over the world. This test indicates the elemental content of the 24-karat alloy. That is, if the product is marked “19 carats,” then 24 parts of the composition contain 19 shares of gold.

In Russia there is a GOST that regulates branding. It looks like a sample symbol. For example, if the sign “585” is on a ring or chain, then 1000 g of metal contains exactly that much pure gold. The rest is a ligature. The first brand in the Russian Federation appeared much later than in other countries - in the 17th century. It looked like a double-headed eagle with the date of release of the jewelry. And the sample testified not to the composition of the alloy, but to its authenticity.

In 1899, a new image appeared - the profile of a woman’s head in a kokoshnik. After 28 years it was replaced by the face of a worker and a hammer, and after another 31 years - by a sickle against the backdrop of a five-pointed star. Modern jewelers have returned to the 1899 standard.

Gold has several types of hallmarks that distinguish products by composition. 958, 916, 900, 750, 585, 500 and 375 samples are separated. 999 is very rare, but only gold bars are made from this metal, since the pure material is not suitable for creating jewelry due to its dull, unattractive color and softness.

An unusual mark - 925 - is placed on ligature products. Such jewelry can be coated with gold or platinum. Some buyers confuse these items with real platinum items and pay high prices for them. But if you are wondering what kind of metal it is with 925 purity, then you need to know that there is no gold with such a mark. These are silver items that jewelers were able to gild with high quality.

“What should you do if you find accessories or silverware that have strange hallmarks?”

Antique silverware, the hallmark and mark on which indicate a workshop where the jewelry was made by hand, is not uncommon. The mark on the silver spoon is amazing! Until the 19th century, there was no unified system for marking and branding silver jewelry in the world, although stamps were placed on jewelry. Today, ancient jewelry originating from Great Britain , Germany and France . On the jewelry, in addition to the sign of the country of manufacture, a symbol of the country of origin of the metal was placed (in the case of France and Great Britain, the icons of the colonies).

Author's workshops - Parisian and Venetian - branded jewelry handmade by their jewelers. Therefore, it is normal to find a strange mark on family jewelry. If this happens to you, seek advice from a store expert. We will be happy to tell you about the samples and refer you to a jeweler who will help establish the origin of the accessory.

Sincerely, Andrey Fedorenko , director of the online store TopGrant.ru

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We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the catalogs:

• Silver rings
• Silver earrings
• Silver chains

Brand of gold

Gold jewelry is made from metal with different compositions. Popular metal samples:

• reddish 375;
• durable 583;
• colorful 585;
• white 750;
• bright yellow 958.

Low-grade gold graded 375 has a reddish tint and turns gray when the polish wears off. Most often in jewelry stores and pawn shops you can find products with the mark 583 or 585. The first metal is an alloy of gold and copper, cast in a red tint, durable, but easily takes any shape. Today, the 583 sample material is used only in Belarus. In other countries it was replaced by the 585 brand; the substance consists of three components and in the light takes on red, pink, white or yellow colors.

The 750 alloy contains silver and copper, so the products appear white or yellow-green. The soft metal of the 958 stamp does not hold polish for long. In the banking industry, gold with a mark of 999 is used to make bars. In practice, it is impossible to achieve a mark of 1000, since in any case the precious material will contain impurities.

How to determine authenticity

If you have doubts about the authenticity of the product, you can check it at home:

• Pass the decoration along a sheet of paper. Silver jewelry will leave streaks.
• Draw a thin line of iodine with a needle. If iodine leaves yellow spots, the product is real. A white coating indicates a fake.
• Silver heats up quickly. If you immerse the product in hot water for a few seconds and then remove it with tweezers, it will be the same temperature as the water in the glass.
• Genuine jewelry is not magnetic.
• You can run chalk over the surface of the product. If the chalk becomes dark, the decoration is genuine.

There are no fakes in official stores. When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the reputation of the store. The low price of the product should also alert the buyer.

Source

Differences of silver

Pure silver is a very soft metal, making it easy to work. To make it more durable, copper is added to it. This procedure is called doping, the additional substance is called a ligature. Copper and silver have similar physical properties, so they are combined.

The testing system used to be very confusing, since each state had its own standards and marks. Therefore, they came up with a percentage scheme that displays the ratio of components in one alloy. A large amount of copper is contained in 800 and 750 standard silver. This metal is usually used in the industrial sector. To create jewelry, material with a grade of 925 or 875 is used.

Metal marked 960 or 999 is not suitable for making items because it contains too much silver. The material is not strong enough, so it will not be able to withstand daily loads. Jewelry made from 999 fine substance is highly valued by collectors. This type of silver is white in color, making it often paired with diamonds and clear gemstones.

Golden color

In retail stores you can often find silver jewelry with gold plating, which only slightly increases the cost of the product, but does not give it durability.

Few people know about the existence of yellow silver without sputtering. This characteristic color is obtained due to the addition of copper, which, by the way, additionally protects this precious metal from oxidation. In school chemistry lessons, an experiment is often carried out: a yellow precipitate of salt is isolated from silver nitrate. Jewelry made from this precious metal is given a golden color by adding other elements, such as copper. For example, zinc or silicon.

Sterling material

It is worth learning about the features of 925 metal. This type of silver is called sterling silver from the name of an old English coin. This was the name of the alloy from which they were minted. According to another version, the name comes from the famous German Easterling family. In the 12th century, five cities of Germany were united in the Hanseatic League, which had active trade relations with England. They were calculated using coins made of an alloy of 92.5% silver and were called Easterlings. The British liked the quality and reliability of the metal, so they made it the standard of the new English currency.

Sterling material is distinguished not only by its fineness, but also by its durability, beautiful shade, and durability. Knives made of this metal do not deform and do not turn black over time. The classic composition is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. It is this that makes the substance plastic, malleable, durable, gives it a cool tint and emphasizes its natural shine.

Jewelry that was made from sterling 6-7 centuries ago is still kept in museums and passed down by wealthy families from generation to generation. In the manufacturing and jewelry industry, silver has maintained its leading position due to its ability to maintain a light shade and precise shape.

Composition of alloys with silver

To form an alloy with silver, several impurities are not added. Only one metal is used as an addition to give strength and durability to the jewelry or other product. Thousands of silver is too soft, it does not hold its shape, and therefore it requires an alloying process. The following is used as a ligature:

• Copper. The most commonly used metal. This is what gives it the yellowness. The greater the amount of copper, the yellower the product.
• Platinum. An expensive element that imparts durability and reduces oxidation.
• Nickel. Harmful to the body because it tends to accumulate and cause allergies.
• Gold. An alloy of silver and gold is called white gold. In addition to silver, other metals are added to white gold. But this option is the most popular, reduces the cost of decoration and looks stylish.
• Cadmium. An expensive element, it is used in jewelry only by order of the buyer.
• Zinc. It wears off quickly and also leaves black marks on the skin.

Each impurity has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, platinum and cadmium are very expensive metals. Therefore, they are not used in decorations too often. Such jewelry will cost more than its gold counterparts.

Each metal added to silver imparts a new shade to the piece. And in this way you can solve the problem of silver oxidation and blackening. It is enough to apply a layer of rhodium to the product. It will add shine to the jewelry, and you won’t have to clean it after a while. Products made from rhodium-plated silver resemble white gold in appearance.

Most often, copper can be seen as an auxiliary element that gives strength to the alloy with silver. But adding this metal in large quantities affects the color, giving the product a yellowish appearance. Copper also promotes oxidation.

Platinum and white metal

If in a jewelry store they ask the price per gram of 925 white gold, then they mean silver jewelry with gilding. In another precious metal, nickel, palladium and platinum are added to whiten it. Silver and zinc are rarely found in white gold. Additionally, the products are coated with a layer of rhodium, a substance that belongs to the platinum family.

Nickel can cause allergies, so it is replaced with palladium, which gives the metal strength. Compositions to which platinum is added have better characteristics and greater cost. The hardness of white gold allows jewelers to securely set precious stones, which is appreciated by buyers. Such jewelry is usually 750 or 585, but not 925.

Gold-plated products are overpriced , and platinum is sometimes sold for less than its real price. This material and silver have several common characteristics: strength, cold shine, noble light shade. But platinum is more resistant to mechanical damage.

Alloys can be distinguished externally. If an antique product has corrosion spots, defects, damaged areas, then it is silver. The second metal is less susceptible to scratches and changes in shape. Visually, novices will not be able to tell the difference between the two substances, but platinum has higher light reflectivity and brilliance. Thin chains, earrings and brooches are made from it. Massive products are made from silver, as a cheaper material.

Silver samples and their use

The question of what 925 standard actually is - gold or silver is not advisable, since it does not tolerate any criticism either from the point of view of chemical composition or from the point of view of logical justification. 925 gold is a myth, a deception to attract more buyers. When purchasing for reinsurance, you should pay special attention to the markings and quality certificate applied to the product, so as not to buy a fake.

Application in production

Thanks to the technical characteristics of 925 silver markings, for 300 years it has occupied the first position among other alloys. The copper contained in the alloy gives the metal strength, high malleability and durability.

In the USSR, sterling material was used in the production of contacts, conductors and jewelry. Silver was a quality alternative to gold and platinum, which were unaffordable for ordinary workers. In the Russian Federation, the material was used for the manufacture of:

• serving items and cutlery;
• details of religion - icons, crosses;
• accessories for everyday life and beauty - cufflinks, buttons, pins;
• individual orders - cigarette cases, medals, orders.

Sterling is used in many areas. And the alloy of this metal and cadmium is so rare that its value exceeds the price of gold. It is used during chemical experiments.

Story

Until the middle of the second millennium AD in Egypt, silver was valued much more than gold, because in terms of the number of nuggets mined, gold was much more common. Only later, when the ratio of precious metals throughout the world became known, silver was inferior in value to gold.

From the mid-thirteenth century in Europe, silver began to be used to make dishes and cutlery, coins, and jewelry for men and women. Since this metal has antiseptic properties, it was often used by alchemists for their work, and jewelers also created amulets and amulets from silver for children and women.

On the territory of Rus' at that time there were no sources of its own where silver could be mined, so there was an active trade in precious metals. In particular, this happened in Nizhny Novgorod, as one of the most important shopping centers receiving merchants from all over Europe.

During the Middle Ages there was a sharp rise in all areas, including technology, culture, and science. Therefore, new ways of processing metals, mining them, creating jewelry and devices appeared. Silver was valued for its flexibility in processing, its softness and ease of creating shapes. In addition, even at home, silver can be cleaned with improvised means, so it quickly gained popularity for creating products such as home decoration, tools, dishes and cutlery.

Cost per gram

In order to find out how much one gram of 925 hallmark silver costs, you need to multiply its discount price by 0.925. Every day the average parameter is set by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. The next day after entering a new indicator, the accounting departments of jewelry stores, pawnshops and credit institutions recalculate the cost of each product.

If sales and purchase transactions occur, market value is also taken into account. Usually it is higher, as it depends on certain risks and conditions. The price is also influenced by the manufacturing technology of the silver item, the weight and prestige of the manufacturer.

The price per gram depends on several parameters. Every year, the London Bullion Exchange publishes a rate of materials in specialized magazines, indicating the cost per ounce. As of March 2021, a jewelry store client had to pay 34.5 rubles for 1 g of 925 silver. The country of manufacture is also important. The most expensive jewelry is offered by Italians; among Chinese companies there are often low-quality alloys or fakes.

There is no gold graded 925, that alloy is silver. Owners of jewelry are often misled, as some items may be covered with gold plating. But the sample is placed directly on the object, and not on the shell. Sterling metal is strong, durable and has the ability to retain its original color and shine.

Metal characteristics

Silver is a versatile metal used in medicine, industry and jewelry. In its pure form it is plastic and easy to process. The strength of silver products is given by the addition of copper or other chemical elements.

The composition of 925 silver may include:

The composition of a metal affects its physical properties. The product changes color depending on the composition. The main task of jewelers is to protect jewelry from oxidation. The best alloy for 925 silver is copper.

One of the main advantages of silver is its beautiful appearance and low cost.

Gilding method for producing yellow silver

Gilded silver is similar to yellow gold, and after gilding, products look expensive and do not oxidize. Stylish silver bracelets, earrings, and gold-plated are available in the catalogs of all online jewelry stores.

Starting in 2021, Russia will begin to introduce a new system for labeling domestic and imported jewelry products - GIIS DMDK

At industrial jewelry enterprises and small workshops, a layer of gilding is applied using the galvanic method:

• the surface is degreased;
• the decoration is lowered into a bath filled with a solution of gold salts;
• pass current.

Decorative coating applied using the galvanic method is safe for health and lasts longer with careful use and proper care. Thin gilding wears off over time, but many jewelry workshops offer a renewal service at a reasonable price.