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My store now offers rhodium jewelry; what is the right way to explain what it is? [Australia] 

August 7, 2007

I have of late started working in a Jewellery Store that has recently opened. I discovered this site because normally we sell only yellow, rose and white gold stock, the other day one of the bosses brought in a new range of jewellery and told us that it was rhodium plated. When I asked what it was and if it was still white gold I was told that if a customer asks to tell them that is white gold that has rhodium plating on it. That it is stronger and brighter. From reading other posts I am more than willing to believe this but do I also tell them that after a few years it will need to be replated? We are a small boutique shop so we aren't able to do this ourselves and I am not sure where to send them because we have mostly large franchise jewellers in town. Do I recommend sending to them or seek out smaller businesses that maybe specialise?

Jenn Armstrong
Work in the Industry - Mackay, Queensland, Australia

Look up "plating shops" and you will find some that offer rhodium plating of jewelry.

I think you can tell customers that 24 kt gold is always yellow, that you make white gold by mixing nickel or palladium with yellow gold, but that the brilliant mirror-like look they are admiring is rhodium plating -- a precious metal about 10x as costly as gold. I doubt that you are in a position to estimate the life of the rhodium plating. On a pin it may be good for a lifetime if it's very high quality; if it's on a ring it may last from a few months to a few years depending on quality. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, NJ