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Letter 1237 Plating rhodium on white gold1 2 3 4 Ed. note; This is an interesting but long thread, and only one of many. Before you get too confused, you might want to start with our FAQ on Rhodium Plating and White Gold to get an overall understanding :-)
Yes, the chemicals in hot tubs, like chlorine and bromine, can attack gold alloys. I was thinking the wrong way on that for a while myself. Although pure gold is exceptionally resistant to chemical attack, rings are made of alloys, not pure gold.
+++ My fiance recently purchased an engagement ring for me. I was with him at the time of purchasing it. It cost him $1,400.00 including insurance. One year later I notice that my ring finger was starting the itch, now I have a little rash on my finger. Is White/Gold jewelry safe? and what was the cause of this break out from wearing this ring? I also, have a co-worker that had the same problem. This is very scary....... Stacy H [last name deleted for privacy due to age of
posting]
Probable sad news, Stacy; you've possibly become allergic to nickel. A dermatologist can test you to determine if it is a nickel allergy or some sort of yeast problem. There is a pandemic of nickel allergy these days, probably related to the dramatic increase in piercings in recent years. Rhetorical question (that means don't answer): do you and your friend have piercings.
++++ My husband just recently bought me a white gold wedding set. It is beautiful. I got in December. In January I noticed the ring yellowing. I brought it back to the jeweler who traded my ring out for a new ring. I have had the new ring about 6 weeks and it is now yellowing also. They offered to have it re-rhodiumed and I chose not to. I told them I wanted the ring re-made in 18KT yellow gold. I do not want to play the game of getting my ring dipped every month. I wish I would have been told about this in the beginning before we bought this set. This is a pain. I think jewelers should only offer the true stuff, yellow gold or platinum. All of this adding alloys to gold to make it something it is not does not work. Eventually it will turn to yellow gold sooner or later. I believe all of the people who say they have had their white gold for years and years and have never had a problem probably have platinum and did not even realize it. I really wish I would have known this from the beginning. I have really enjoyed all of your posts and I appreciate knowing that I am not the only one with this problem. Thanks for all of the advice. Chrissy F [last name deleted for privacy due to age of
posting]
++++ I work in a Jewelry store and recently brought one of our white gold rings in for sizing. I was asked by the jeweler if it was real white gold or if it was flash plated rhodium. I didn't know because I do not make the rings. She told me how a lot of jewelers only use flash plated rhodium and the ring underneath is actually yellow gold. She said one of their customers was told there was no such thing as real white gold, but that that wasn't true. When I picked it up, she told me it WAS real white gold. When you go to buy a ring, you should just ask if it is real white gold or just flash-plated rhodium. My mom's wedding set is white gold, and she has had it sized and even welded with some yellow gold rings that my dad bought her. Her wedding set has stayed white for 26 years. Just ask before you buy. Jennifer F [last name deleted for privacy due to age of
posting]
++++ I happened upon this thread looking to see if it was possible to turn a yellow gold ring into a white gold ring using Rhodium. I believe I got my answer... Anyway, to those of you who have written in of whether to buy white gold or platinum wedding sets, please go platinum! Like many others here, I had a "white gold" engagement ring that I had to get sized, and low and behold, when it came back it was yellowish! They ended up dipping it in Rhodium again, but eventually I changed the setting to platinum. The platinum may not be as shiny as gold, but it looks and feels durable which is important. To note, I was bartending and wearing my wedding set and my finger did turn red which is normally caused by nickel. It has been more than a year and my skin there is still a bit thin. So, platinum ring wearers, be careful of nickel in your rings if you are allergic to it! Christy B [last name deleted for privacy due to age of
posting] ----
I became engaged on Memorial Day this year. I wore my white gold ring for 2 days and dropped to the jeweler for sizing. It took a week for it to be returned, and when it came back there were dings along both sides of the channel set diamonds along the side!! The manager of the store said she would just 'buff them out' which not only did not work, but also smooshed some of the setting. I was outraged. My fiance advised the store manager to order me a brand new ring (the exact same setting) in my size. I kept the damaged ring until the new one came in. After 2 days it started to yellow. I have white gold earrings and necklaces with charms that have never appeared yellow. I was given the rhodium plating story by the store manager. I have a life time maintenance so replating will be free. Does any one have any advice on how to ensure that the jeweler plates the ring with ~1u of rhodium? I don't want my 'white' gold ring yellow after 2 days. I am so disappointed! To make matters worse after 6 weeks the 'new' ring came in it wasn't even the same setting...So I had to order another one!! PS --Kay Jewelers has been terrible. My advice is to stick to your local 'been in the town for 50 years' jewelry stores. They are more concerned with their reputation then the large chain mall stores are and the employees are more educated!! Leigh L [last name deleted for privacy due to age of
posting]
++++
++++ To Lisa D in Brookfield, OH - Sorry for the delay in responding to your question! I forgot that I had posted here, and recently returned. To answer your question, yes, Rhodium can be plated over an older rhodium plating. The secret is proper cleaning and activation of the surface. If there are no scratches, it can go through the plating process. If there are, it needs to be polished - which will remove most of the plating anyway. Unfortunately, there is no way to realistically measure plating thickness unless you bring the ring to a plating shop that has an XRF machine. They can do a very quick and simple test that will not ruin your ring. As far as softened vs. hard water exposure, I really don't know what would happen. Theoretically, there should not be any damage, just water spots. However, without knowing exactly, you should take your ring off when doing dishes, taking a shower, or washing your hands. usually the soaps will do more harm than good. Good Luck! Larry Smith
++++ I usually never post on this sort of thing but I was surfing the net for jewelry and came across what was being said here. I had to comment because if nothing else the very first post bothered me. I work for a well known jewelry corporation and it exasperates me to no end that people don't investigate information regarding metals. I mean the internet is available and it is plain as day on the sites that white gold is not white gold. It is not however yellow gold plated with rhodium. White gold is simply yellow gold with alloys added such as nickel or palladium to give the yellow gold a white color. White gold will begin to turn yellow gold in as early as 6 months in some cases. It can have to do with washing with the jewelry on but it is more often due to your skin and the products you leave on it such as lotion. White gold coming in to contact with certain lotions can turn it almost instantly. I pity the jewelry store that had to deal with the people who returned their jewelry for this reason. If you returned it shortly after purchase because you now learned about white gold and wanted to switch to a different metal that would be fine. Yet to blame the store for your ignorance and inability to see that what they told you was in fact a fact is exactly the reason I have found that people buying jewelry are crazier than the customers I've ever had at any other job. I love my job but there is something this world needs to learn about jewelry and jewelers. NOTHING IS PERFECT! Jewelry won't last forever without upkeep. Jewelers are humans not machines. When you see a jeweler work you develop a huge appreciation for how close to perfection they come. Mistakes can happen and do not expect perfection. That is the beauty of the handcrafting that goes into everything that a jeweler must do it is not cookie cutter perfect. As I always say, before you yell about something make sure you know that what your yelling is correct. Kim
+++++ Dear all, As a professional jeweler I have rhodium plated white gold now for over 21 years. My advise to all of you white gold owners is to find a jeweler that actually electro-cleans your ring before rhodium plating (about 20 seconds - in motion). Rhodium plating time after that crucial step should be about 60 seconds. Failure to electro-clean or too short of a rhodium plating time will result in a very poor quality rhodium plating which can look "spotty" or is so thin that it wears off rapidly. BUT NOW THE GOOD NEWS: I recently came across a brand-new white gold alloy which will change the industry within the next few years. Rings cast with it do not need to be rhodium plated. The patented white gold retains its shine and luster with no special treatment since there is no rhodium to wear off revealing a less pleasant color. Not only can it be polished and finished as easily as yellow gold, it is not brittle like some other white gold alloys, having the ductility and ease of use for diamond setting. This alloy is also safer for nickel-sensitive people. Learning about this new product as a jeweler is exciting news to me and I am looking forward to offer this product to my customers as a welcome alternative to the traditional yellowish white gold rings that need rhodium plating. Christoph R. Malzl
+++++ I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME JUST GOT ENGAGED AND I HAVE MY RING FOR MORE THEN 6 MONTH ITS WHITE GOLD AND IT IS TURNING I TOOK IT BACK TO THE PLACE I GOT AND THERE GIVING ME A BS LINE SAYIING THAT MY BODY IS CHANGING THE RING OR THE FOOD I EAT. THEY SELL RINGS THAT ARE CHEAP WITH A HIGH PRICE THINKING THAT YOU'RE GEETING YOUR MONEY's WORTH BUT YOU'RE NOT. WHAT IS THE REASON WHY IT IS CHANGING DID I GET A A BAD RING? PLASE HELP ME I DONT KNOW WJAT TO DO RACHAEL CIRELLI
+++++ Gold is naturally yellow in color. However, gold is too soft of a metal to use in its pure state to make jewelry that will withstand the everyday wear and tear. Other metals are mixed with the gold to harden it. 10 karat gold contains more metal alloy than gold, 14 karat gold contains more gold than 10 karat, 18 karat gold contains more gold than 14 karat, etc. It is very rare that you will have 24 karat jewelry, it is too soft. White gold will contain the same percentages of gold versus metal alloy (to harden it), but the alloy used is "white." Over time, the yellow color of the gold will begin to show through as the alloy wears thin. Rhodium plating simply coats the gold to restore its "white" color, and in many cases will restore some sheen as well. Rhodium plating is a common practice in the jewelry industry. Some people will need to coat their white gold jewelry with rhodium once a year, others can wait 2-3 years. It all depends on the wear and tear your jewelry gets, and yes, on your body chemistry. Just know that when your white gold begins to turn yellow you can take your items to the jeweler and get them rhodium plated. Jessica Garayua-Johnson
February 21, 2006 I am a jewellery designer in South Africa and I have read all the
letters above, especially the ones pertaining to white gold fading
colour. Raakhi Rana
August 1, 2006 I am an experienced bench jeweler that makes and buys gold and
platinum jewelry. "White gold" jewelry made by most manufacturers use
nickel. This will usually be very slightly yellowish until it is
rhodium plated. A few manufacturers that sell to jewelry stores such
as Cobb are only now starting to sell non-nickel jewelry with
different combinations of gold, palladium, and other alloys. You will
see more manufacturers using this soon. Jewelry stores do not like
the expense and trouble of rhodium plating white gold jewelry either.
Most jewelers do not know the correct way to rhodium plate jewelry,
as evidenced by many of the comments above. One example is the
jeweler who uses copper wire in his plating solution. Copper and many
other materials easily contaminate rhodium plating solution. Robert Levy
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