What is Rhodium Plating?
Rhodium plating is the finishing touch where your white gold or silver jewelry piece is coated with a thin layer of rhodium to help give it that crisp, bright white sheen.
Although the coating itself is only a few microns thick, it’s a procedure that can greatly improve the appearance of your white gold or silver piece; it also provides a protective barrier that resists tarnish and everyday abrasions.
In this article, we’ll explore what rhodium is, how plating is performed, how long the finish lasts, and what you can do to keep your jewelry looking luminous between professional touch-ups.
What Is Rhodium?
Rhodium belongs to the platinum-group of metals. The metal is quite rare, hypoallergenic, and is naturally white. It has an exceptional white sheen and reflectivity that makes gemstones and polished surfaces pop.
With these characteristics, you may be wondering why jewelry pieces aren’t made out of rhodium to begin with. The answer is: rhodium is quite brittle and, being one of the most precious metals, it’s also super expensive to be used for entire pieces.
So instead of using it for a whole piece, it fits better to use it as a coating. Jewelers electroplate a thin layer of rhodium onto harder underlying alloys (usually 14 k or 18 k white gold, occasionally sterling silver, and, in certain instances, platinum) to enhance the white look of the metal and also and also curb wear.
Why Jewelry Is Rhodium Plated
White gold gains its silvery tone from alloying yellow gold with nickel, palladium, or both. Even though it’s naturally white, because it’s gold, the alloy typically retains a faint warm cast. This holds true especially at higher karats of white gold. To keep the piece looking white and bright, it’s coated with rhodium.
The Rhodium Plating Process
Electroplating fuses rhodium ions to the piece’s surface through an electric current:
- Surface preparation: The jeweler cleans and polishes the item, then performs an ultrasonic or steam bath to remove foreign debris and any outstanding residue/oils.
- Plating bath: The piece is submerged in a rhodium solution, where a controlled electrical current causes rhodium atoms to deposit evenly across the piece of jewelry.
- Rinse and final polish: After plating, the jewelry is rinsed, dried, and polished.
The entire procedure typically takes under an hour, though heavily worn pieces may need extra prep work to repair deep scratches before plating.
Thickness and Longevity
In fine jewelry, most pieces are rhodium plated with a thickness of approximately 0.75 to 2.0 microns. Even though this layer is extremely thin, it’s just the right amount to provide the bright, white finish and protective coating that rhodium has, while keeping at bay the risk of brittleness. Since rhodium is naturally brittle, having a thicker layer would make the piece more susceptible to surface cracking.
This all being said, the length that the plating lasts on your piece depends on the wear it receives. Rings that are worn daily can usually last 1 to 2 years until they need to be replated. Earrings and pendants don’t get a lot of wear, so they can last a few years.
How will I know when it’s time to get my piece rhodium plated?
When you start to see the metal underneath the bright surface of your piece starting to show through, it’s time to consider getting the piece replated. On white gold pieces, this typically shows up as a slightly yellowish hue starting to show – this is the “white gold” that is underneath the plating.
Generally speaking, plating wears off first on the places that receive the most contact or friction. For example, on rings, this would be along the outer shank.
Caring for Rhodium-Plated Jewelry
Here are a few easy steps to follow to help extend the life of your rhodium coating:
- Remove before abrasive tasks: Gym sessions, gardening, and dishwashing expose rings to repeated knocks and detergents that can abrade or dull the finish.
- Wipe after wear: A quick rub with a soft, lint-free cloth removes sweat, lotions, and airborne pollutants.
- Use mild cleaners: Warm water plus a drop of gentle, phosphate-free soap is all you need; steer clear of ammonia or toothpaste, which can etch the plating.
- Storage: Store pieces separately—ideally in fabric-lined compartments—to avoid metal-on-metal contact.
Is Rhodium Plating Right for Your Jewelry?
- White-gold jewelry: White gold pieces are nearly always plated.
- Yellow or rose gold jewelry: Rhodium can create two-tone accents with yellow/rose gold pieces. Think white prongs set on a warm rose gold shank. Know that eventual wear will reveal the base metal. Because of this, rhodium plating isn’t typically added to whole pieces of yellow or rose gold jewelry.
- Platinum: Generally speaking, platinum isn’t rhodium plated since it already has a natural, bright, white color. If needed, as platinum becomes duller with wear and gets its natural patina, a simple polish can bring back its white sheen.
With this in mind, it’s not entirely unheard of to plate a platinum piece, in cases where the client or jeweler wants the piece to have an exceedingly white finish. Note that because Rhodium and Platinum are in the same family of metals, rhodium plating on platinum pieces generally lasts longer.
Conclusion
Rhodium plating is a small investment with a big payoff. It gives your white gold and silver jewelry a new, bright white finish that makes it look like new, and also gives it a layer of added protection to wear.
At Kim Quang Jewelry, we can plate all of your fine jewelry pieces. Whether it’s an old heirloom that needs restoring, or an engagement ring that’s worn daily, we can help plate your piece so it looks like new.
We invite you to visit our showroom in San Diego, where you can experience the expertise and service that has made us the city’s premier fine jewelry destination.