Letter 22095

DISAPPOINTED NEW BRIDE [Illinois] 

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HI,

MY HUSBAND BOUGHT MY ENGAGMENT RING AND WEDDING BAND IN JAN. I'VE BEEN WEARING THE ENGAGEMENT RING SINCE THEN. WE GOT MARRIED IN APRIL AND NOW THE WEDDING BAND LOOKS GREAT, BUT THE ENGAGEMENT IS GETTING A BROWN OR GOLD TINT TO IT. THEY ARE BOTH WHITE GOLD BOUGHT FROM THE SAME STORE. I AM WONDERING IF I COULD CLEAN IT WITH ANYTHING TO MAKE THEM BOTH SHINE AND HAVE THE SAME COLOR AGAIN.

THANK YOU,

CYNDI KLEIN
- DEKALB, IL, USA

Today someone brought a white gold ring to me with this same problem. It is white gold alloy by X-ray analysis but had a slight yellow appearance. (No rhodium plate by observation or X-ray) I polished the ring with jeweler's rouge [link is to product info at Amazon] and it appears white so I think the high reflectivity of the newly polished surface looks whiter. If your jeweler polishes both rings they should lose brightness at the same rate and the color should look the same over time. I am assuming the alloy is the same for both rings and neither ring has been rhodium plated.

Neil Bell
Red Sky Plating - Albuquerque, NM, USA

Hi Cyndi,

Neil is right a repolish should restore the original shine and tint. In my judgement I would suggest that the rings discolored in a very short time. You may want to wear gloves to prevent the rings from discoloring when coming in contact with household cleaning chemicals. If the rings should continue to discolor I would recommend that you consider repolishing the rings and have them replated with a layer of bright rhodium to minimize dicoloration over the long term. Over time this may be the best alternative.

Best regards,

David Vinson
Metal Arts Specialties - Leonard, Michigan, USA

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