The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Black Plating

2002

Please could some one help me could you advise on how to get a true black plating on precious metals gold, white gold and silver. I believe there is a black rhodium plating [adv: black rhodium plating solution on eBay or Amazon [affil links] but it's not very black. I work in the jewelry trade please help..

Thanks,

J Kaye
- London, England

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The black coatings on precious metals are sulfides. Any plating chemical supplier should have the blackening baths you need. But the reason you see the black in recesses of school rings, etc, with the gold showing through on the high spots is that these coatings have very little abrasion resistance, and it's easy to blacken the whole item and then relieve the high spots of the blackening.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002