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.

New Necklaces

These are 2 recent creations. These necklaces were inspired by the beautiful wood beads that are in both. When I received this order from my supplier, I knew I wanted to create SOMETHING from them. This is it.



For more information, just visit my Etsy jewelry store.

While I Was Away

Sorry I've been away so long. As I stated, I am trying to integrate my new kitten Motor (who just happens to be on my lap) into our household. What that really means is needing to watch how he and Tiger are together. I can tell you it is wrestle mania here. If you are interested in more about how the cats are doing, please go to my new blog, "The Very Best Cats."

So I am in my first Showcase at Etsy today. A Showcase is a way to have your work stand out from the crowd for a day. There are MANY artists trying to sell their art work there so it is important to somehow stand out.

Wanted to share some new earrings I have made lately.




The top 2 are beaded with crystals and the last one is crystals and glass. Of course, I call that pair "Cherries."

Yellow, White or Rose Gold? Why are they Different?

I have a ring at home that is three colors of gold. Just the other day I was wondering, what makes the difference in the colors? Even though I do not work in gold, I thought I wanted to find out and share it in my blog.

Just as I had suspected, the difference lies in the metals mixed into the gold alloys.

Yellow gold is made by mixing metal alloys such as copper and zinc to pure gold.

Rose gold is made by mixing pure gold with alloys such as copper, which creates the rosy reddish color.

White gold is pure gold mixed with metal alloys such as silver and palladium.

Often times, white gold jewelry is coated with rhodium, another white metal, which helps the gold look whiter. In its pure state, white gold is actually a light grey color. Over time, the rhodium wears away. When this happens, the jewelry needs to be recoated (plated) with the rhodium. This may need to be done every 12-18 months and is a fairly common practice with jewelers.

The higher the carat weight of your yellow gold jewelry, the richer the yellow color will be. By that I mean that a ring that is 18 carat is yellower than a ring that is 14 carat. The higher the carat weight in rose gold, the more subtle the rose tone will be. And in white gold, the color will look the same because of the plating.

The one last difference is more in terms of the carat weight. The higher the carat weight, the better your jewelry piece will age because the piece will be stronger and hold up to everyday wear better.

Very interesting information.