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geti-titanium
01-10-2009, 10:34 PM
GETis thoughts on Rhodium plating.

When is white gold not white gold?

When a consumer walks into a shop to buy an item of gold jewellery, if it is yellow or red then by checking the hallmark (if buying in the UK) they can tell at a glance, with the aid of a loupe, if it is 9K or 18K for example - the colour is fairly obvious. White gold is another story. Yes they can check the caratage just as easily, but what about the colour? Are they looking at the actual gold alloy or is a thin plating of Rhodium disguising the metal beneath?

First a few facts.

24 carat gold is yellow.

White gold is produced by adding a careful selection of white metals that bleach yellow gold. Strong bleaching metals are palladium, nickel and platinum. Moderate bleaching white metals are silver and zinc.
This tends to historically produce two classes of white gold, nickel alloys and palladium alloys.
Because of the price of palladium, the palladium whites are the most expensive and whiter alloys.

Many low grade commercial white gold alloys do not produce an acceptable level of whiteness to the consumer, therefore it has become common practice for manufacturers to rhodium plate items of jewellery to give the nice ‘ice white’ colour that is associated with white gold.

Rhodium is a member of the Platinum family and a thin electroplated deposit is applied to the surface of the majority of white gold jewellery sold in retail outlets to enhance its appearance.

Many customers are confused by white gold and do not necessarily understand what they are buying when they buy an item of white gold jewellery.

When buying white gold jewellery here are a few questions that it may be advisable to ask:

1. Is it Rhodium plated?

2. How long will it be before the rhodium plating will wear off?

3. How white is the gold underneath the plating compared to the Rhodium and will it reveal yellowy brown patches as it wears?

The term ‘white’ when applied to gold does not, at the time of writing, although there are plans in progress to change this, have any industry standard guidelines, therefore retailers and manufacturers are placed in a difficult legal position when a customer brings back an item of jewellery that has worn to its natural colour and complains.

A growing number of companies believe that high quality, un-rhodium plated 18K white gold is a naturally beautiful colour metal and are keen to encourage the acceptance of it. It blends in nicely with Titanium products and eliminates the disappointment experienced by people when their white gold ring starts to change colour when worn over a period of time.

Don’t hide it - Keep it Naked !!

bustagasket
02-10-2009, 06:07 AM
Nive Piece Alan, i would never have known about the phodium plating before i came on here. But then i never looked at white gold because i used to think it just looked like silver, same with platinum so they never attracted me, if i was looking for "proper gold". Now i have started working with metals i can appreciate the difference, but i wonder how many other "laymen" fall into this trap?

MuranoSilver
02-10-2009, 06:38 AM
I've made quite a few palladium white 18k wedding rings, but I don't rhodium them.
If the customer wants Rhodium White I explain the maintenance and get them
made for them.

Nic x

Emerald
02-10-2009, 07:29 PM
my wedding and engagement rings are 18ct white i love the deep grey colour

ben b
10-10-2009, 11:25 PM
you used to be able to buy decent honest white gold jewellery off shelf...but now, with casting technique demanding technical metals, not pretty ones..its all rhodium plating.
this is great news, as ive got a market stall. silver is so much cheaper, but import stuff gets the same treatment..that harder rhodium plated shine.
so whats the difference between silver jewellery, rhodium plated, and cheap white gold jewellery rhodium plated...none. good news for me...that white gold look for less. (after all its a rhodium plated 'look' and not a white gold one...literally same thing) happy days!

glen
26-10-2009, 08:13 PM
10 / 10 for this post
the look of a nicely mixed white-gold without too many alloys next to a lovely yellow 18ct,... it's like good music and good wine at the same time

glen
26-10-2009, 08:20 PM
you used to be able to buy decent honest white gold jewellery off shelf...but now, with casting technique demanding technical metals, not pretty ones..its all rhodium plating.
this is great news, as ive got a market stall. silver is so much cheaper, but import stuff gets the same treatment..that harder rhodium plated shine.
so whats the difference between silver jewellery, rhodium plated, and cheap white gold jewellery rhodium plated...none. good news for me...that white gold look for less. (after all its a rhodium plated 'look' and not a white gold one...literally same thing) happy days!

Once the plating wears off you get a visual difference, as gold / white gold does not oxidise as easily. Secondly you get a physical difference in wear and tear, silver and gold lean towards 3 on moh where the platinum family leans towards 4. So naturally White Golds are a little harder too.

AlexandraBuckle
27-10-2009, 08:17 AM
GETis thoughts on Rhodium plating.
2. How long will it be before the rhodium plating will wear off?

When i worked in a jewellery shop for a while, I learnt that the rhodium plating wears off different amounts on different people. E.g pregnant women used to find it wore off quicker.
Its kind of to do with peoples hormones and things... Some customers used to say they woudn't have white gold for that reason because they found that the plating used to wear off really quickly on them.


Nive Piece Alan, i would never have known about the phodium plating before i came on here. But then i never looked at white gold because i used to think it just looked like silver, same with platinum so they never attracted me, if i was looking for "proper gold". Now i have started working with metals i can appreciate the difference, but i wonder how many other "laymen" fall into this trap?

I've personally never really liked the colour of yellow gold and also used to think that white gold looked liked silver so never saw the fuss. Then i got my white gold engagement ring (and now my wedding ring) anf I no longer wear my silver rings because they actually look quite different in colour.