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  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Rhodium plating diamond rings

Ed. note; This is an interesting thread, and only one of many. Before you get too confused, you might want to start with our FAQ on Rhodium Plating and White Gold to get an overall understanding :-)

Hello to all of you,

I got engaged a little over a year ago and have noticed my white gold ring has begun to turn yellow on the underside. When I asked my jeweler about this they said that they would need to rhodium dip it to bring the color back and it would look brand new again. We did not know that this needed to be done when we purchased the ring, like so many others that I have read about on this site. After reading all the reviews I'm a little scared to get this done. It sounds like so many people have had bad results afterwards. I'm also concerned on how this procedure works. Do they have to remove the diamonds before they dip the ring? Our jeweler has to send the ring off somewhere and it will not be back in the store for two weeks, so I'm concerned that whoever is doing this could remove the diamonds and switch them with cheaper ones. We have already had issues with this jeweler so I'm not very trustworthy. Can anyone tell me the procedure on rhodium dipping diamond rings?

Diana Wilkerson
Consumer - Olney, Illinois
2007

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2007

Why are you going back to a store you don't trust? Ask your friends and relatives to refer a good one.
White gold always appears whiter when it has a high luster because it reflects more light. Some people are not bothered by this slight change in areas where the jewelry is showing signs of wear but if you want that new look you will need to re-buff. The luster will last longer with rhodium plating and some jewelers have this capability in-house. The diamonds do not need to be removed.

Neil Bell
Red Sky Plating

Albuquerque, New Mexico

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You've lots of choices when it comes to jewelers, so if you don't get a good feeling, definitely use somebody else do do whatever it is your going to do. You don't have to keep going back to the same shop, and your best choices might include going elsewhere.

If you read the FAQ on white gold issues - accessible through the homepage here - I know that there is at least one supporting advertiser of finishing.com who specializes in rhodium plating and will give MUCH thicker coats (the price of rhodium demands that this will be done at a higher price than what your jeweler may ask for - but this really is an area where "You get what you pay for") with MUCH less cracking (presumably giving better nickel protection and probably increasing wear resistance). If you get it replated - which you probably should, other than just repolishing it you don't have many other choices - I'd personally go with that advertiser. I don't know their name off hand, I do know that if you read the FAQ you won't be able to miss them.

Good luck!

Jim Gorsich
Compton, California, USA
2007

I just found out how important rhodium is in the presentation of white gold. Rhodium helps the white look whiter. Rhodium is a member of the platinum family and thus very expensive. From all that I understand it is applied to white gold every 12-18 months to keep the luster of white gold high. It would be good to do research on your own to get a good understanding of the metal and its relationship to gold, platinum , etc. I even found one source showing the price of rhodium over $6000 per ounce. I hope this info helps.

Kim Chase
- Baltimore, Maryland
2007

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Q. I have a question before I purchase a ring I saw on line. It is set in white gold,the band is yellow gold. If or when it comes time to get the white gold replated, can they do this without affecting the yellow gold?

Donna Chalos
- Crown Point, Indiana, USA
February 14, 2013