ISO 11596:2008 specifies a method of sampling precious metal jewellery alloys for the determination of the precious metal content. It is applicable to raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products of the jewellery alloys of precious metals. The purpose of ISO 11596:2008 is to define all the operations needed to obtain samples intended for the determination of the precious metal content of a particular jewellery alloy. It is intended to be applied when sampling alloys are claimed to be homogeneous.

ISO 11596:2008 does not cover alloys of precious metals used in industrial products, coins qualified as legal tender, dentistry or decorative coatings on other material. It is not intended to apply to procedures employed for the purposes of production control or for the provision of samples other than for the determination of the precious metal content.