Many people know that you should never store gold and silver items together, as both will quickly deteriorate or darken. Pearls should be protected from perfumes that adversely affect mother-of-pearl and make it matte, and a piece of moistened cloth should always be placed in a box with opals, the moisture of which will prevent premature drying and discoloration of the precious stone.
At the same time, only a small part of the owners of gold jewelry know how to properly handle Soviet gold and store it separately from modern gold.
They know how the accessories of those times differ, and what “additives” were then mixed into gold to obtain a certain color or strength of the metal.
Jewelry gold is an alloy of several metals such as copper, silver, rhodium or even zinc. And if pure gold does not react in any way when in contact with other gold, then the metals included in the jewelry alloy ligature may well show certain negative consequences. Jewelry made from such raw materials can darken, leave blue marks on the skin, or even cause allergies.
A high content of zinc or copper in gold alloy can cause allergies A high content of zinc or copper in gold alloy can cause allergies
In modern jewelry, the types of metals, as well as their percentages, are selected in special laboratories in such a way that the resulting gold is as safe as possible and retains its appearance for as long as possible. In the USSR, the composition of the ligature was created on a different basis and in some cases received a huge number of critical shortcomings.
It’s about red and gold. The owners of such jewelry face a lot of problems, the first of which is the rapid darkening of the metal, and the second is the appearance of characteristic dark marks on the skin after long-term wearing of rings or other products.
The reason for such manifestations is the high content of copper in Soviet red gold. This non-ferrous metal is extremely susceptible to moisture and is prone to rapid oxidation. And if we take into account that in Soviet gold of 583 samples it is more than 33%, then it is not necessary to wait for the manifestations of copper deficiencies for a long time. Gold quickly darkens and becomes covered with characteristic greenish spots. There is even more copper in products with a low breakdown, and jewelry becomes even more whimsical to the conditions of detention.
An example of a Soviet ring with a high content of copper in an alloy of 375 samples. An example of a Soviet ring with a high content of copper in an alloy of 375 samples.
So, for example, 14k red gold is best stored separately from modern gold accessories. There is so much copper in it that the products of its oxidation can easily get on other products and stain them. In addition, such jewelry does not like moisture, and therefore it is not worth storing them together with opals.
Copper is also oxidized during prolonged contact with oxygen and aggressive acids present in the air. Therefore, if you put jewelry for long-term storage, it is better to place them in a hotel bag with a zip fastener.