Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Rhodium plated or silver plated - what is the best?

Hello,

We are in the process of producing some gifts for a party (keychains in particular) and we were wondering whether to have the keychain plated with rhodium or silver.

I have to note that we will order the keychains from a factory in China. I note this because Mr. James S. of Cancun, Mexico (letter 27488) wrote that "Chinese jewelry called Rhodium Plated but in reality it is not."

If this is the case then what would you suggest to use?

Thank you for your time!

Regards,

Aria Iwannou
Hobbyist - Athens, Greece
March 30, 2010

Hi, Aria. Notwithstanding what anyone else has said, you really can't ask "If people are not going to supply what I order, what should I order?" :-)

One of my favorite quotes from Peters & Waterman "In Search of Excellence", is to the effect that if you want to serve a good salad at an affordable price point, you should search for crisp lettuce not days-old artichokes. In that vein, rhodium costs $10,000 per ounce, so for affordable party gifts you should go with silver plating. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
March 30, 2010

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Rhodium plating is good for quality because it is precious metal but silver is base metal. Rhodium is resistant to chemicals but silver gets tarnished in an environment that is oxidation. Simple example, you bring your silver plated article in contact with rotten eggs and see the effect. It happens due to the hydrogen sulfide gas.
But rhodium plating is costly. But don't compromise in quality because your business growth is directly proportional to quality.

Bhupesh Mulik
jewellery - Mumbai, India
April 22, 2010