Yes We Offer Rhodium Plating:

Rhodium is a member of the platinum metals family - which includes rhodium, palladium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and platinum.

It is very white, and while not that hard of a metal on its own, is extremely hard when the molecules are layered during the plating process.

Plating consists of dipping a ring or other piece of jewellery into a rhodium salts bath, The ring is then charged with negative ions, the bath is charged with positive ions, and the rhodium from the salt bath is transferred to the surface of the ring/jewellery.

I am personally not a big fan of Rhodium plating as it can wear off relatively fast and may leave the consumer with a product that needs constant maintenance that could eventually out price what a 19k or even platinum ring would have cost. It can cost from $40-$100 to re-plate rhodium plate jewellery. However there is no doubt that rhodium significantly improves the appearance of 14k white gold.

Why is this important?

I want you all to know why certain rings are less expensive, and thus more enticing to the consumer.

You see, the nickel in lower karat white gold makes the gold harder, more brittle, and white - as well as causing possible allergies and skin irritation.

Commercial mass producers then came up with a plan to sell the public white gold jewellery that has very little nickel and instead more copper in the alloy.

The resulting alloy is very yellowish, but causes few problems with the manufacturing and stone setting since this metal is very ductile or easy to bend.

So how to market this yellowish metal to the consumer?

A thin layer of the rhodium plating was the solution.

Turning these rings to ultra white, and lessening the chances of initial allergies. (at least until the warranty wears out.)

So I’m left to explain this to women who come by my shop who complain that their three month old engagement ring is “turning yellow” at the bottom - where the rhodium has worn off.

And also that the cost of sizing that would have been about $50, is now an added $40 to $100. All the rhodium has to be sanded off, the ring sized, then re-polished, then re-rhodium plated.

We are still happy to offer this service, but for those of you shopping for an engagement ring, there is a much better way - go 19k white or platinum.
https://www.fergusonjewellery.com






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