Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Is it safe to have my antique white gold diamond ring re-plated with rhodium?
Q. I have a 14 kt white gold diamond ring, circa 1925 (art deco). It is quite delicate, has one large central diamond with 26 smaller diamonds set all around the head of the ring. The ring is looking grey around the band and appears slightly yellow at the front where the stones are set. I was wondering if rhodium plate would improve the appearance of the ring. The stones still look beautiful but the white gold isn't looking its best.
My concern is that the re-plating process may harm or dislodge the stones. Please advise, as I know very little about rhodium plating.
Julie Kingconsumer - Lancs, UK
2007
A. You might want to take the ring to a reputable jeweler and ask about ultrasonic cleaning.
Blake Kneedler
Feather Hollow Eng. - Stockton, California
A. Hi Julie. Rhodium plating should be harmless to the ring and the stones (the stones are not removed for plating); and it will definitely make it gleam. But I'd go with Blake's suggestion of having it cleaned, and maybe polished, and see if that's good enough.
Rhodium plating cannot be chemically removed, only mechanically polished away, and it looks like an absolute nightmare to polish the rhodium off that ring if you find it anachronistic :-)
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007
Q. My great grandmother's ring is having prongs reworked and rhodium plating. I'm concerned it will not look antique and will need replating often, as I plan to wear it a lot. Should I be concerned?
Carol Lightfoot- Jacksonville Florida USA
July 18, 2016
A. Hi Carol. Rhodium will need occasional replating because it is only a plating, and things wear. My wife's setting wore all the way through over decades of marriage. But if the ring is white, the replating should be fairly infrequent if done right. If the ring is yellow, I'd suggest that you not do it as the discoloration will show through too soon.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so it's hard for anyone to say whether you will like it ... but rhodium will be flashy, not subtle.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 2016
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