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Rhodium/re-rhodium plating a white gold ring with engraved detail

My question concerns a white gold ring with engraved detail on the band. According to the jeweler, it has never been rhodium plated. It is currently a dull somewhat grayish color. The color is not terrible it just in not half as bright as the rhodium plated rings. Also, the engraved detail is a bit black in the grooves (maybe dirt, although it has been cleaned almost on a daily basis using a liquid cleaner) Is there any reason why this ring should not be rhodium plated? I am wondering whether the engraving will effect the rhodium plating. Also, if the ring needs to be replated (as all my research tends to indicate) will removing all the first layer of rhodium plating so as to prepare it for the 2nd plating harm the engraving? Does rhodium plating flake off or just gradually wear off?

Kristine Keates Roche
hobbyist - Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
2004

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2004

Hi Kristine,

I'm doing platinum plating and rhodium plating on white gold rings why b'coz it needs if also I add 50% alloy of white gold in pure 24k gold to make it white gold. Still it'll look some how yellowish but you will need to plate rhodium or platinum. More white gold are mixed 25% that is for 18k WG but as I have wrote above just to explain u.

Before doing rhodium or platinum plating all things have been done polishing, engraving etc then plating so it'll not effect engraving. Plating lasting it's depends on your jewelers how they say to his platers, like I'm doing plating of other goldsmiths they send me ring before 15 mins and his customer is standing right there and he calls me do it now I say them don't tell me that plating is coming off soon b'coz you need urgently. More thick plating of platinum or rhodium it cost more money so it all depends on your jeweler.

Dipen Pattni
jeweler/goldsmith - Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

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Best Regards,

David Vinson
Metal Arts Specialties - Leonard, Michigan
2004

Hi Kristine, there is no reason your white gold ring can't be carefully polished and cleaned. The engraved area will not be affected by plating of bright rhodium. No detail of the engraving will be lost or filled in by the plating process. If you need to replate the rhodium later, there are simple steps to replate over the old rhodium and still achieve excellent adhesion of the new rhodium coating.

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I recently took my ring into my jewellers to get the claws fixed on it and upon receiving it back it looks like it has been re-plated and now has '750' engraved on the band, can anyone please advise what this means? It's an 18 karat white gold ring

Rachel Frost
hobbyist - Australia
September 15, 2011

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Hi, Rachel.

The 750 stands for 18K (75 percent gold). I'd probably guess that the band is a replacement and that only the jewel and perhaps the prong arrangement were salvaged. Good luck!

I'm sure the readers aren't averse to trying to help you, but for the readers of the world to take wild guesses sounds unproductive compared to just asking the jeweler what he did and why :-)

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 15, 2011