What is Rhodium Plating?

It is so exciting to get your jeweler back after being cleaned, polished, and rhodium plated. It looks new again with all the sparkle and shine! So how do jewelers get the metal so bright white again?

Most white gold and some sterling is rhodium plated. White gold is rhodium plated because 24k gold is yellow. To make 18kt, 14kt, and 10kt gold they add alloy to the gold such as silver, copper, and nickel. In white gold more nickel and silver is added, but white gold can still have a yellowish hue to it. To make it bright white it is rhodium plated. Sometimes you will notice the bottom of our ring is “turning” yellow. That is the plating wearing off. It is an easy process for a jeweler to rhodium plate your ring again. Some solution such as hand sanitizer will remove the plating at a much faster rate.

Sterling silver is sometimes rhodium plated. Sterling silver is naturally white in color, but can be rhodium plated to prevent tarnishing that happens to sterling silver. I like to purchase sterling chains that are rhodium plated which helps keep the chain from tarnishing and looking black in color.

With the price of the rhodium solution going sky high, you might pay $50-75 to get your rings re-rhodium plated and looking new again. How often should you do it? That depends on how fast the plating is wearing off. I suggest once a year to get your rings, cleaned, checked, polished, and rhodium plated. You can think of it like your vehicle you drive everyday. We have to bring in our cars everything 3 months for maintenance, your jewelry you wear everyday also needs annual maintenance from everyday wear.