The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
  

  -----

Finishing of a highly-polished iron-nickel meteorite finger ring

I have fashioned a piece of jewelry (specifically, a men's ring) from a iron-nickel meteorite recovered from Canyon Diablo, AZ. It is a simple, highly-polished ~4mm band. Of course, without a finish is oxidizes VERY quickly, and therefore, cannot be worn (or kept out of gun oil) at all. My problem is how to finish this smooth, highly-polished metal completely, without blemish, with a finish which is durable enough to withstand the abuse of a men's finger ring. All "clear" coatings seem to have failed; I am running out of material to grind down and re-polish due to prior failures. I cannot overstate how much I would REALLY like to be able to wear this piece of jewelry I made. I have had (and tried) several ideas, but am beginning to think a very thick metal electroplating of some sort is my only option. I still am trying to make powder-coating seem viable, as it too seems rather durable. Can/should rhodium be used? What about other metals? Do you think somehow the unique composition of the meteorite might pose difficulties? Any information you can provide would be most helpful.
Sincere thanks,

Eric Wayne Bohrer
hobbyist - Madison, Wisconsin, USA
2006