Hello

Am hoping someone nice and wise will be able to help

We sell sterling silver jewellery which we sometimes arrange to be professionally gold plated. Have just had a customer return a rose gold plated charm as it tarnished significantly (went rather black) within a few weeks. They say a local jeweller has told them that the plating is at fault and that it shouldn't tarnish.

I have the charm back and the tarnish has lifted easily with a polishing cloth so I would have thought this was just the copper in the rose gold alloy reacting with moisture and that the customer needs to clean it gently after wearing to stop this taking grip again. But can't get that worry out of my mind about whether the plating could somehow be at fault, and google isn't giving me a clear answer

So I guess I am asking is in your experience is usual for rose gold to tarnish or whether you would see this as an indication of something being amiss with the plating?

Thanks in advance!

Mel