The city of Zlatoust began its history with an ironworks, which was founded by the Highest Decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1754. The city is located in the mountain-forest zone in the west of the Chelyabinsk region. It was built at the confluence of the Tesma River and the Ay River between two mountain ranges, the Urenga and the Uraltau, on lands that were bought from the Bashkirs.

The document itself was prepared by the State Collegium of Mining. This mining administration body of the Russian Empire was established in 1719. The sheets contained information both about the water-driven ironworks at the foot of Mount Kosotur, and about the owners of the enterprise.

According to one version, the choice of the name of the plant was determined by the fact that the contract of 1751 was signed on the eve of November 13, the day of St. John Chrysostom (known in the Russian language as Ioann Zlatoust); according to another version, the name was chosen due to the fact that the icon with an image of the saint was a family icon of the Mosolovs.

The decree of Elizabeth Petrovna effectively opens the exposition of the history department of the Zlatoust Museum of Local Lore. This document is not directly related to the founding of the city but it is a typical example of an official document dated to the mid-18th century.

The document is made up of nine sheets in a brocade folder. It is executed on thick stamped paper with a stamp typical for this type of transaction in the upper left corner. The handwritten text on each sheet was enclosed in a rectangular gilded frame with floral ornaments.

The text is in brown ink, the title of the document is written in gold, and the signatures are in black. The document was certified by the signatures of the members of the State Collegium of Mining and the Empress. At the end, an imprint of the official red wax seal was placed.