Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Changing yellow gold engagement ring band to silver

I have a yellow gold engagement ring and I want it to be a shade of silver. I don't care if it's platinum, white gold, or anything else. I just don't like yellow gold. The diamonds are set in platinum and I absolutely love the setting so I don't want to just get a new ring.. Is there any way to just change the color of the band from yellow gold to a silver color?

Lisa Jenkins
hobbyist - Denver, Colorado, USA
2007

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Hi Lisa,
My wife doesn't care for yellow gold either. I would have the ring plated in Rhodium. Depending on the degree of wear, the rhodium will have to be re-plated over time because it is just a thin coating. Silver plating tarnishes and would rub off quickly. Be sure you seek out a reputable jeweler that does the plating themselves, if possible. When a jeweler sends a ring out to be plated you never know what you are going to get. Good Luck!

Mark Baker
Process Engineer - Syracuse, New York
2007

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I don't know about it being preferable for a jeweler to do the plating themselves, Mark :-(

A real plating shop, with process controls, full time platers, and a well equipped lab not expected to do as high quality a job as a jeweler working in tea cups at the sales desk?  :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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2007

Ted,

I certainly agree that plating shops have the edge over jewelry platers. When was the last time you saw a diamond engagement ring come into a general plating job shop, whether shipped by a jeweler, or brought in by a customer?

The fact is that decorative rhodium for jewelry is plated in 5 gallon or less capacity tanks (even beakers [beakers on eBay or Amazon]). The rings are plated in small back rooms in New York City and by jobbers in Providence, R.I. - all related to the jewelry business in one way or another. The rings won't normally be found in a job shop in Hoboken, N.J. Another fact is, there is a huge difference between a jeweler and a jewelry store. Some jewelers design and craft the jewelry they market, from start to finish, including rhodium plating. They stand behind their work and guarantee it. They have too much invested in their people and reputation to perform less than honest practices. My suggestion to Lisa was that she seek out a reputable jeweler, not a jewelry store for the plating. Even if the ring has to be sent out, the chance of stone swapping or poor rhodium plating will be greatly minimized. I hope Lisa reads this as well.

Mark Baker
Process Engineer - Syracuse, New York

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Thanks, Mark. I now understand the distinction you are drawing between jewelers and jewelry stores. I realize that diamond jewelry isn't farmed out to general job shops. I was just observing that there are specialist plating shops serving the jewelry industry, and I don't think it's a mark against a jeweler if they send their work there as opposed to doing it in house. Thanks again.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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