The Russian 585 mark is the modern hallmark stamped on Russian-made or Russian-assayed gold of 14-carat fineness — that is, 58.5 percent pure gold by mass — under the assay regulations of the post-Soviet Russian Federation. Introduced in the early 1990s as part of the harmonisation of Russian standards with international norms, the 585 mark replaced the Soviet-era 583 standard (583 parts per thousand, equivalent to 56-zolotnik fineness in older Imperial terms) and brought Russian 14-carat gold into formal alignment with the standards prevailing in Western Europe, North America, and the wider international jewellery trade.

Standard and structure of the mark

The Russian hallmark on a piece of 14-carat gold consists of the numeric fineness '585' alongside the state assay mark, which depicts a woman in profile wearing a kokoshnik headdress — the traditional Russian hallmark device adopted in 1958 and retained, with stylistic variations, through the present. Older Soviet pieces show the kokoshnik mark with the 583 fineness; modern post-Soviet pieces show the same kokoshnik with 585. A separate code letter or symbol within or beside the mark identifies the regional assay office responsible for the test, and the maker's mark — usually a registered combination of letters — appears in addition.

Assay procedure

Russian gold and silver are assayed under the authority of the Federal Assay Chamber (Probirnaya Palata), with regional offices distributed across the federation. Pieces are submitted to the assay office, tested by either touchstone, X-ray fluorescence, or fire-assay methods depending on the piece and the level of accuracy required, and stamped with the appropriate fineness mark only if the metal meets or exceeds the declared standard. The system is rigorous and is one of the more thoroughly enforced hallmarking regimes in the world.

Difference from Soviet 583

The change from 583 to 585 is small in metallic terms — two parts per thousand, or about 0.2 percent gold — and pieces marked at either standard are functionally indistinguishable in wear. The motivation for the change was harmonisation with the international 14-carat standard of 585 parts per thousand, which simplified import-export trade in gold jewellery and made Russian production marketable abroad without an explanatory note about the slightly lower Soviet standard. Vintage Soviet 583 pieces remain legitimate gold jewellery and trade in their own right, with collectors and dealers familiar with the distinction.

In the trade

For dealers and consumers handling Russian or formerly Soviet gold jewellery, the 585 mark is the standard reassurance of fineness; the kokoshnik device authenticates the assay; and the maker's mark provides the trail to the workshop or manufacturer of origin. Pieces lacking the kokoshnik but bearing 585 alone may have been re-marked outside Russia or may be of foreign manufacture using the international 14-carat standard. The 585 standard coexists in Russian use with 750 (18-carat) and 999 (pure or refining-grade) gold, with 585 being by far the most common in everyday jewellery production.

Further reading

• GIA Gems & Gemology — international hallmarking
• International Gem Society — gold standards and marks