After some extensive
research, as well as our in-house testing, we will now be rhodium plating all of
our Asha�
white-gold jewelry, at our cost. The improved appearance of
rhodium plating was initially
noticed because of its
extra beauty to the naked eye, but as the points below will
show, it not only
enhances the beauty of both white
gold, it helps ensure the longest-lasting, most durable finish for
your jewelry. The result: stunning jewelry that
stays stunning much longer than un-plated white gold.
Rhodium is a member of the
platinum precious metals group. The full platinum metals
group is:
-
platinum
-
palladium
-
rhodium
-
iridium
-
ruthenium
-
osmium
Why Rhodium?
Rhodium is considered best in class of all the platinum
metals family for resistance to corrosion and
tarnish. Rhodium
will also remain bright and shiny under most environmental
conditions. Not surprisingly,
of all the metals in this group,
rhodium is by far the most expensive to utilize. Rhodium is
nearly 4x as expensive as platinum, and 9x as expensive
as gold.
Rhodium is the most tarnish
resistant member of the platinum metals group. As
a
protective coating,
rhodium finishes
virtually eliminate any chance of surface
discoloring even
when exposed to extreme
environmental conditions under normal
temperatures. The surface hardness of plated rhodium
is also the highest of the
precious metals, and is thus
highly resistant to incidental scratching and abrasion. Rhodium plated finishes are best in class for wearability among
the precious metals.
Additionally, rhodium is
hypoallergenic. White gold normally employs nickel to provide the whiteness
of white gold,
however, approximately 20% of women will
have some form of
allergy to nickel. Thus,
by rhodium plating, a possible allergen
is removed from contacting your skin. The one
exception to
that is on white gold
stud earrings. Because
the
nut of the earring drags along the post, the post will not
remain plated for long. In those instances where nickel may
be a problem,
we recommend using
platinum posts/nuts on a
white gold basket, or simply
going with platinum earrings.
Rhodium plating can
dramatically increase the long term durability, brightness and luster of the finish.
Because it is a
plating, it will wear off over time. How soon depends on how
much wear and tear the
jewelry item takes. However, virtually any jeweler can quickly re-plate your jewelry,
usually for around $45, to bring back the original shine and
luster
that only rhodium can provide.
|
Metal |
White
Gold |
Platinum |
Rhodium |
|
Color |
yellow-silver |
light-gray |
blue-white |
|
Mohs Hardness |
2.75 |
4.3 |
5.5 |
|
comparison of
reflected light % |
60% |
65% |
75-80% |
|
Pricing/Ounce |
$265 |
$625 |
$2570 |
