Rhodium and Plateing on Silver and Gold Jewelry

Rhodium is a precious metal, a member of the platinum family. Rhodium electroplating is used on jewelry to provide a surface that will resist scratches and tarnish, and give a white, reflective appearance.

Rhodium plating is most often found on white gold. The term white gold is something of a misnomer. Gold is actually yellow. What jewelers call white gold is a mixture of gold and a white metal – usually nickel, silver, or palladium (another member of the platinum family).

Metals known as white are actually more of a gray color, so white gold has a yellowish cast. The more gold there is in the mixture, the more yellow the cast appears.

Since the wearer of white gold is looking for a bright white look, a very thin layer of rhodium electroplating is used to make that jewelry shine. White gold plated with rhodium will also keep its good looks longer - rhodium will not tarnish or discolor, and since it is a harder substance, it is much less likely to get scratched.

Rhodium plating does not last forever. Plating on something that takes a lot of wear and tear, like a wedding ring, can wear away in as little as two years. An item worn less frequently like a pin or necklace, or one that comes in contact with your skin or the elements less, can keep its plating for ten or more years.

You can tell when the plating is wearing away by the look of the piece; the area without the plating will show the yellowish color of the original white gold.

Most jewelry items can be easily replated, although replating a two-toned piece will be more expensive because the work needs to be done by hand. Prices will vary according to the thickness of the plateing that you choose to use. Choose thicker layers for items you wear every day, like a wedding or engagement ring. The extra expense will be well worth.

Replating will not fill in dents, dings and scratches, it will only make them shinier and more noticeable! Have your jewelry cleaned and polished before you have it replated. The smoother the piece is to start with, the better the effect you will get from the process.

Sometimes, platinum or silver jewelry is rhodium-plated. In the case of platinum, it is because rhodium is a bit brighter than platinum, so it is used to enhance the shine. For silver, it is a little bit different. Silver is actually more reflective (shinier) than rhodium, but silver is also a much softer metal, and can be scratched very easily. So you get to choose a small bit of shine for a longer life or a scratch-free life. When the plating begins to wear away from a platinum or silver piece, it will be much less noticeable because the color difference is not far from the color of the metal underneath.

Fiery Trio

For this necklace, I wired together 3 beautiful labradorite briolettes (beads)and have them hanging from a simple silver chain. The necklace is 18" long.

These brios are full of fire. They are cut very well so they have a nice sparkle to them.

New Way to Clean Sterling Silver and Silver Plated Jewelry

I have wrote, in the past, techniques for cleaning sterling silver jewelry. I found a new one I wanted to share. I haven't tried this myself, so I can't tell you how well it works from experience.

The first thing to do is mix together equal parts baking soda and water to form a thick paste. Dab this paste liberally onto your silver-plated jewelry and let sit for an hour.

The next step is to scrub the jewelry gently, using an old toothbrush and the paste. Rinse the paste off completely, and let dry.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil in a shallow plastic or glass bowl. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. of baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt onto the foil.

Put your silver-plated jewelry on top of the foil. Pour hot water into the bowl, on top of the jewelry.

Cover the bowl and wait 5 minutes. Remove the cover and take out your jewelry. The foil, baking soda and salt (which must be dissolved by the hot water) creates a reaction that removes the tarnish from the silver.


From: eHow Articles

Wedding Jewelry

Traditionally, wedding jewelry is kept simple and feminine so that it accentuates the bride and her gown. I find necklaces embellished with sparkling gemstones, crystals, and soft, feminine pearls are the perfect statement piece to add to any gown.

Here are just a few pieces available at Maria Bella Jewelry that would make a lovely addtion to a beautiful gown.








More bridal and formal jewelry ideas are available at Maria Bella Jewelry.

Cleaning Silver Plated Jewelry

When you look at Maria Bella Jewelry, you will notice some of my pieces are made with sterling silver components and some with silver plated components. Silver is usually plated over brass in jewelry and is less expensive. The cost benefit is the reason that I use plated silver. Plated silver jewelry is less expensive to make and easier to afford for many customers. The plated chain and other components I have found look just as nice as the sterling silver jewelry parts that I have. The plated pieces will probably not last as long as the full silver ones.

Silver plated jewelry, like sterling silver jewelry, will tarnish over time. But there are care techniques you can use to extend the life of your jewelry piece. I found this care information written on the web by Nancy Janeliunas of Janeluinas Jewelry. It sounds like good solid advice to me.

"To remove tarnish from silver plate, use the same techniques or solutions that you would with solid sterling silver items. However use the least amount of polishing (or shortest exposure time needed to liquid dips) as necessary because any process that removes tarnish also removes minute amounts of silver on the surface. Over time the plate will eventually wear, some plates are thicker than others so a heavy plate will most likely last a lifetime with proper care.

To advise which is better using a chemical dip tarnish remover or a polishing cloth. I would first say that depends on the item. If there is porous stones (Turquoise, Lapis, Malachite, etc. or pearls) in your jewelry do not use the liquid dips. I prefer these dips Tarn-X in particular for quick removal of a heavy tarnish as it will remove all blackness within seconds. I do not leave parts in any longer than necessary. Then a light rub with a polishing cloth puts on a nice shine as the chemical dips leave a dull finish. Polishing cloths are my second choice (or first if my jewelry has porous stones), the Sunshine cloths in particular are the best. They are not abrasive and remove tarnish without a lot of pressure and rubbing. A last resort is tarnish removing paste or polish as it is highly abrasive and would remove too much of the plating with each polishing.

My best advice though to extend the life of a plated item is too use techniques that minimize or slow down the build up or exposure to tarnish in between wearing. The less you have to polish the longer life your item will have. Store in plastic air tight zip lock bags with anti tarnish paper, anti-tarnish cloth jewelry bags, or at least in an air tight, low humidity environment. Do not place in a card board box or on paper as they have sulfur producing compounds in them that increase the rate of oxidation."

By Nancy Janeliunas of Janeluinas Jewelry