Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Care for platinum plating over 18kt gold

Hello,

My husband just bought me what he originally thought was an 18kt white gold wedding set for our 20th anniversary. It's gorgeous, white and quite heavy! However, shortly before leaving the shop, the owner told us that it's actually 18kt yellow gold with a platinum coating. I'm very nervous about this! How should I clean and care for this set? Can I use regular jewelry cleaner, or will that wear off the finish?

We're living in S. Korea, where he bought the set, and I'm concerned that if it needs to be replated I may have difficulty finding someone to do it platinum. Is using platinum plating common? Is it more durable than rhodium?

There's no such thing as a refund here, so I'm worried that perhaps it was an unwise purchase. Any thoughts?

Thank you for any advice.

Andrea Davis
consumer - Chinhae, AP (military overseas) USA
2005

You must replate it from time to time. Platinum plating is less durable than rhodium. You can use any quality gold cleaner. Simple solution is precipitated chalk and water.

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
2005