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Jewelry of the Soviet Union

Dmitry Tamoikin

2009

Jewelry of the Soviet Union ©

Gold – or More precisely, gold jewelry – made by the Soviet Union is one of the most promising but overlooked antiquity and collectibles markets today. For all who want to make a highly profitable investment or have a very valuable collection, while spending a relatively small amount of Soviet jewelry is a gold mine to be explored.

Naturally, you ask – why? What is so special about jewelry made of a group of countries that condemned the rich and wealthy lifestyle as gold so perfectly represent? Well, for starters, it is precisely this paradox, this controversial ideological history that each item of jewelry, the Soviets – and no other article has or will ever have. I hope this piqued your interest. Let us start from the beginning.

All Soviet jewelry, especially gold, has everything that collectors and investors want and demand. First, an incredible and controversial story, known the world over. Secondly, it has a clear provenance. Thirdly, it is rare. In the fourth is it made of precious materials (gold with precious and semiprecious stones). Fifthly, the unique design. Sixth, the prices are relatively low today, with a rapidly narrowing market, which means higher prices tomorrow. Seventh, an easy promotional, marketing and commercial basis (the USSR has been focusing on Hollywood for decades). And finally, eighth, it has no negative aspects or any minuses at all. Indeed Soviet jewelry has even more positive than those eight, but let us continue …

It is known that the market for Soviet art are new records for the last 16 years straight, with artworks sell for millions of dollars at prominent auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's. The less established, but the parallel market for Soviet jewelry has all the potential and more, given that in many ways it is similar – but made of gold and jewels!

A question arises: Why, with all this potential, Soviet jewelry still priced about the same as modern jewelry? Before the answer is given, let me mention that as a buyer I login to the current situation. It allows collectors like me to buy large number of items at extremely low prices, and I know for a fact that this will not continue for long. When prices jump – and they inevitably will – I want more than enough to sit back, relax and let my assets grow. It's like investing in shares in a newly found Klondike gold mine right next to the White House. Okay, so why are prices so low and why has no one thought of it before? More importantly, what guarantees and signs are that prices will not only increase but rose sharply?

The answer lies in the source countries, all former Soviet republics. Russia is currently going through a new phase of open markets and a very wide range of products including gold and jewelry in particular, are widely available throughout the country. Major jewelry manufacturers, such as Tiffany & Co., now represented in Russia and their sales exceeding all expectations. Moscow has become one of the world's most expensive cities to live. Average Russians have started to leave poverty behind, and after a long time the middle class has started to spend money. Quite naturally they do not think about investing in the familiar items they have lived with for so long – they buy the new and modern products deemed to have style and class. Russia wants to show people want and can buy top European brands and many are fully prepared to sell old jewelry that has been in their drawers for decades, especially with prices for gold rising weekly. To summarize, "Russia does not want old and Soviets, it wants new and preferably Armani."

A direct result of this mentality is that few people look at what happens to the jewelry that still left – and people who realize this has already started quietly to collect everything they can get their hands on. These people are not necessarily the Russians. With help from eBay such small items travel fast around the world, mainly to the U.S..

Now, for those of you who know Russian antiquity market, I am not saying it is not moving forward. Far from it! The Russian antiquity market, despite severe and unpleasant state regulation has increased enormously in the last few years. Wealthy Russians all over the world are now buying everything they can get. They are in London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong … outbidding rivals and top collectors of millions of dollars. But look at what they buy: Their primary focus is something that was created during the Czarist period or before 1917, while another advantage is ancient in Europe. Soviet records do not spark much interest, but only when they are of very highest quality.

This brief Russian market analysis is to show the reader what a big mistake, even the top Russian collectors do, and it is evident in the course chosen by their colleagues at the European and especially American collectors who have far more experience in antiquity market. I am talking about the massive flow of Soviet goods of all types from former territories of the Soviet Union to countries like the U.S. (# 1 buyer), throughout the European Union, China (Hong Kong), Japan, Australia and many others. It seems, and I also speak from personal experience on and off eBay, that everyone wants and will buy anything Soviet. When I say everything I mean everything, from the top Soviet technology and extremely rare memorabilia for an average phone plug or cap, total and treated as waste in the former Soviet Union. In fact so much of this "garbage" is destroyed in the former Soviet territories with average people who simply have no interest in it or knowledge of its value, the total can easily equal the GDP of a small country. And Soviet gold will not better handling, as I will explain briefly.

Now it's no secret that the Russians now buy top market prices from Europeans and Americans, what they sold them only ten years ago less than a nickel, because ten years ago they took the junk … and it proved to be Faberge. Of course I am simplifying the matter, but the trend is the same with items from the Soviet era. Today no one cares about them, tomorrow everyone will have them. The best part for collectors is that these ten years is coming to an end, and Russians are once again not responding. Well, if you do not catch a bus, you are forced to take a taxi … and the result is the same, but you just pay more. I am writing this as a wake-up call for collectors who want to take a nearly empty, comfortable bus. It is the last in this cheap.

I have included Russia but what about the former USSR members? Well, the situation the same or worse. Asian countries have traded, sold or melted down very Soviet jewelry (gold) for quick profits, and Europe, new or future EU members despise it Soviet regime so much that their common sense (for profit!) is overshadowed by their political and personal attitudes. In any event, former Soviet republics not tends to the value of their historic property at all, especially in Eastern Europe where for example, that they do not buy jewelry with red rubies, because red is "naturally" under the Soviet regime. You can see the happy faces of European, American and Asian tourists, when they buy whatever little Soviet jewelry left in pawn and jewelry stores at low prices. It is as if they are to win a million. This is because when they come home to Tokyo or Chicago, they really are.

There is more frightening stories about what was and still finished with Soviet gold, and why there is so little of it back after 80 years of massive Soviet jewelry output. This is what happened. After 80 years of total isolationism collapsed Mr. Gorbachev, the Communist Union and more than 400 million ex-Soviet citizens were suddenly free to travel, buy, sell, barter or do whatever came into their minds. Most of the world's preferred dollars to rubles, but the U.S. dollar was very scarce in the USSR, so these millions of people contacted the only other product which was accepted by the rest of the world – gold.

Hundreds of tons of Soviet gold in the form of jewelry left the former USSR, which goes mainly to three countries: Turkey, Poland and China. These were the top commercial centers for everything and everything, where "New Russians," as people from the former Soviet Union was called to, traded their gold effects of cheap clothing and other goods that they could sell homes to relatively good profit. As it happened, were Turkey, Poland, China and other countries that have received this large influx of Soviet gold not enthusiastic collectors, which meant that all this gold was melted down into bars and reused – as still happens today. This is evident in today's gold jewelry market. Jewelry Artists know that although Turkey, for example, buy modern gold from Russia, most Turkish gold reserves in the hands of private gold manufactures and their gold if you could give this item a nationality is Soviet.

USSR stones deserve their own separate article, but I'll try to cover some of the key points, collectors and investors should know.

The word on the street is that nearly all Soviet jewelry is lab-grown stones, and it is true. In the late 1950s USSR began using lab-grown stones instead of gems in jewelry items. But while the term "lab-grown" tends to make people believe these stones are next to worthless or equal to colored glass, these stones are actually very valuable. Again, this is an incredible opportunity to buy the USSR jewelry with precious stones more than acceptable prices. Naturally, you ask again – why? Why should the lab-grown stone be of no interest to me? Well, if we speak of an average modern or vintage lab-grown gems then I completely agree that yes, the value of such stones is modest. But a lab-grown gem in the USSR completely alter the picture.

First, what is the most valuable aspect of any precious gem or metal (apart from platinum, gold, silver, rubies and diamonds, which have physical properties that are used in industrial sectors)? Of course it is their rarity. If platinum were as common as steel, you probably would not pay top dollar for a platinum engagement ring. Now it was how many lab-grown gems created throughout the Soviet regime? A good estimate is that it would be equal to perhaps one year's production of debe diamonds. So distribute these stones USSR (in jewelry) around the world, destroy, lose or change 80% of them and leave the rest up for grabs for jewelers (must be disposed of as a byproduct of the gold that surrounds the stone), collectors and other buyers – and what is left is what you get today. Soviet lab-grown gems are undoubtedly rare.

The jewels that were left in their original settings and not replaced or reused in modern elements are even rarer, because in most cases the gold were melted down for other uses and stones tossed in a box to be either recycled or ultimately lost. The original composition is broken, and so is its historical and commercial value.

I have already mentioned the immense historical value of all records created by the USSR, and lab-grown gems are no exception … but let's talk science. USSR had enormous amounts of natural riches, including a nearly unlimited amount of natural gems, but it chose to develop, out of nowhere – neither Tsarist Russia or the USSR after the Second World War the laboratories and technology to grow any kind of jewelry on even a modest scale – a whole new industry that quickly established itself as a leader worldwide. In fact remains true jewels of Soviet scientific achievements to this day. How, you ask? Soviet scientists were able to match so perfect all the physical properties of the natural pearls that almost no analogues exist to this day, even with modern technology. What is more fascinating is that they not only matched, but actually improved durability almost all gemstones that make them as strong as they were beautiful.

The following rather extreme experiment was personally shown to me by a jeweler. Take the most common Soviet lab-grown stone, usually a ruby, it is Soviet, as not many others would pass the test. Light a blowtorch – yes, a blowtorch – and direct all 1500 degrees heat on your beloved stones. May not stop there: Warm it until the stone goes through all the color phases, and turn bright orange (which melted steel), then heat a bit more before finally let it cool. Relax and see what happened to it – absolutely nothing. Precious stone not only returns to its original color, but its structure does not change at all … you can repeat the test if you like. For comparison, a natural ruby of the highest quality crack almost immediately.

You may be thinking why I care if my stone can withstand a blowtorch? I want to wear a beautiful item, do not bash nails in walls with it. I could not agree more, but accidents happen … and if your 7-carat ruby or emerald accidentally falling on a marble floor, the results can be heartbreaking. Thus physical characteristics do play an important role in the value of precious items, especially jewelry.

Look at gold and silver: they are not valued only for their rarity; half of their value comes from their ability to conduct electricity better than almost any other metal on earth. Gold does not rust or oxidize. These qualities make these metals are invaluable in the aerospace and advanced electronic technologies. Diamonds are one of the toughest materials on the planet, with the ability to cut almost any metal or other hard substance, which makes them highly valued in the industrial sector. Diamonds and rubies are also extensively used in watch and clock mechanisms.

When large companies or industries buying these products they buy in bulk, lowering the overall availability of these precious materials and keep market prices high. Soviet jewels have a similar story, only it is collectors and investors making purchases, and availability is already very low. And while hundreds of kilograms of gold and diamonds are excavated daily Soviet gems and jewelry are damaged, melted or destroyed daily. What is left, we look at the market, available for private sessions. For those who has already formed a collection that is a very good situation for those who have not, chances fall by the day.

In short, potential Soviet jewelry is very high. How price of the USSR gold items were previously based solely on the street price of gold (street price for one gram gold multiplied by the weight of a subject), this started to change themselves. Jewelry from the USSR is finally appreciated for its rareness and unique in the market. This change is only in its beginning stage, though, so collectors still have a chance to acquire incredible elements for a good price … a situation that simply can not last too long. Each day fewer and fewer items are available. Notwithstanding any personal feelings towards the Soviet regime, the historical and cultural importance of jewelry created in that time can not be denied, and its value is destined for far surpass the simple value of gold.

From personal analysis of eBay gold suppliers over the last year, I talked about 14 to 19 constant sellers of Soviet gold on ALL eBay site, with 4:58 sellers listing items weekly. Each week only 8:57 Soviet gold jewelry items are listed. To compare: for each Soviet gold item listed there are about 300 similar non-Soviet items presented on eBay every week. Taking account of the 7000 plus suppliers of all other gold, most modern, these 19 vendors to create a monopoly of Soviet gold while raising prices to what they want, giving rise to a Soviet jewelry buying frenzy. Hypothetical, if such a Soviet gold boom happens on eBay would be bound to spill over into other markets as well as gold, so do not be surprised if you find a Soviet ring with a price of $ 2000 at your local Pawnshop. Prices of $ 5,000 or even $ 10,000 for rings, bracelets and other jewelry from the USSR is quite realistic in view of their low availability in the market. The people who own such items will simply be able to dictate what the prices will.

Obviously it would not happen overnight – even anything can happen – but within one to three years we will surely see a price jump. It is already happening to some degree with simple Soviet rings selling for $ 400-700 U.S., and this with great interest shown in public. It is all bound to change. When certain types of rarities is beginning to become hot collectibles, get attention and become noticed by the investors, their value quickly jumps with five to twenty times or more. Examples of such events in the antiquity market are endless. One day nobody is even when a point, then something happens – a prominent collector buy a similar item at a high price, or it is published in a famous catalog – and suddenly people require. A buying frenzy drove prices higher and higher. The question is, why wait until it happens? Investing in Soviet gold now is an ideal situation. With the price of gold rises week, even buy it just as gold is a very good investment, but with better opportunities to open up down the road. Soviet jewelry is to switch from the average gold for collectible gold and the price jumps are inevitable.

There are a number of key points to look for when collecting Soviet jewelry, some the same as for all other antiquity. First look for the hallmarks of Soviet gold. Characteristic for gold is "375", "500", "583", "750", "958". Characteristic of silver is: "750", "800", "875", "916", "960". The rarer gold hallmarks are "750" and "958", representing a better quality of gold and was manufactured in much smaller quantities than the most commonly used "583" hallmark. "375", "500" is also unusual. Although their gold purity is lower, this means not necessarily mean lower value because what they lack in quality of gold they get in the rareness of the hallmark, and therefore collectibility.

Incorporated with or separated from gold purity number is always a government inspection stamp contains information about the location of the manufacturer (city, factory) and a date of creation. There is often an extra stamp with the number of individual jeweler who worked on the item. There may be other brands available, but these three are the most common. It is important to note that jewelry with natural stones had an additional ID number is stamped in gold surface.

The stamp, which represents the government inspection stamp changed through the year, while gold purity hallmarks remained almost the same until the Soviet collapse. From 1927 to 1959 government inspection hallmark was a male (worker) head with a hat, under which was a hammer (this mark would then have a mark "583" next to it). From 1959 to 1992 government inspection characteristic changed to a five-point star with hammer and sickle inside. From this information a collector can quickly determine the age of a product and thus its probable rarity – often the older an item is better.

"583" was the most commonly used type of gold in the Soviet Union, while "585" or 14-carat is most common today. The transition from "583" to "585" was implemented after the Soviet collapse, and thus almost no catalogs or books talking about a Soviet "585" hallmark. But there were actually Soviet jewelry marked with a "585" hallmark (remember that stamp because it is very rare). Two types of Soviet "585" stamp exists, an official – a sailing ship stamp next to "585" mark, which is intended for export only, starting from 1989 – and one inexplicable – the Soviet star with hammer and sickle and "585" mark next to it. There is not much info on this latter type. One theory is that that just after the collapse of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991, chaos in the government structure led to a mix-up in jewelry-making regulations and some manufacturers began using "585" hallmark. The official for using the new stamps in Russia was made by Boris Yeltsin on 2 October 1992 and was completed by the end of 1993, at which time the Soviet star was changed to a woman's head and gold purity was as follows: "375", "500", "585", "750". This means that up to 1992 there was no official order to use "585" hallmark of the internal market in the USSR (the "585" gold in 1989, remember, was to export alone).

I tested the mix up theory even when I decoded a number of gold rings from my personal collection. The first ring I checked was dated 1990, which takes Based on history, but the next four rings were dated back to 1980 and then completely contradict collapse theory. This mystery I leave to historians, just point out to collectors, to the Soviet "585" hallmark is a very rare item in his possession.

Contradictions, anomalies and unknown in the Soviet hallmarking deserves a second publication in which all possible combinations and rare and disagreements could be discussed. This is a huge issue, but I can clarify the general issue in a statement: "The more contradictions, irregularities and unfamiliar presence in jewelry, the more valuable and interesting to jewelry is, period. "This is because the USSR hallmarks are fairly well documented, so any irregularities pointing to new, previously unknown story and a tendency to be very rare, probably produced in very low numbers.

This rule applies to all antiquity. A good example of the "rarity rule "is a 1918 U.S. postage stamp called" Upside-down Jenny "sold for $ 825,000 U.S. on an internet auction in 2007. In 2005 an" Upside-down Jenny " was sold for $ 525,000 U.S., and the same year a block of four stamps was sold for 2.7 million USD. Such high prices for a simple stamp is thanks to an error as publisher of print, when Curtiss JN-4 aircraft were depicted on the head. Only 700 stamps were done with this error, and only 100 survived to today.

In the opinion from many, even without Soviet earrings hallmark disagreements should be priced at not less than $ 5,000 U.S., because there are so few of them back. If these earrings bears a rare fineness of "585" their value would jump even higher. To some this may sound surreal, and yet these prices are already beginning to show in the market.

The second important point to consider is gilded ornaments. Let me tell you about a ring that I bought what I thought was a good price at the time. At a local antique market I saw this interesting gold ring for a low price. I checked for a hallmark, the lighting was poor, and the Stamp a little concerned but I clearly so the Soviet star and a "5" at the end. Thinking it a rare "585" hallmark ring I bought it and carried on. Only when I got home and checked the ring more closely, I found that the hallmark was "875". The ring was gold plated silver. And silver, I felt I had paid too much a lot. Obviously disappointed, I began researching the problem, find very little information about Soviet gold-silver jewelry. So I talking with other collectors and antique goods and taught that gilded silver jewelry items were actually rare and collectors are just as valuable as gold. Chromium plating of silverware were common, chromium plating on silver cigarette was widespread, but gilded silver jewelry was produced in much more conservative amount. There are many gold-plated items from watches to cufflinks, but most are not plated with real gold and rarely is precious plated metal, hence silver plated jewelry has high historic and commercial value.

If you looked closely at Hallmark numbers I mentioned earlier, you may have noticed an interesting: hallmark "750" is the same for both silver and gold. If the silver with this hallmark was still gilded it would be almost impossible to distinguish silver from gold without scientific expertise. It is uncertain whether a silver hallmark "750" was never gilded. If it were, it would make a rare and interesting topic indeed.

A third central focus for is whether the jewelry was made by hand or machine. A large part of the USSR jewelry was handmade, and its value is higher than items made by machine. This issue should be addressed before purchasing or taking the item to an expert goldsmith.

A fourth and final point to consider is the combination of metal and other materials. In some cases Soviet jewelers combined different types of metals in the workflow. For example: red gold with yellow or white, gold with silver or platinum, silver with platinum. It was also very common in the Soviet jewelry to combine precious, semi-precious or even non-precious metals and stones together. USSR established this trend long ago and it was very popular, especially in its own market. Interestingly enough, it is a fashion in jewelry today, when we look leather with gold, wood with platinum, and so on. Today we are back to what the Russians had used 20-40 years ago, just with a little touch of modern style. As the saying goes, "The new is the forgotten old."

Soviet gold will surpass top market brands and become much more valuable because it is an antique made on top quality out of precious metals and stones with an incredible history.

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