How Can Yellow Gold Be Altered to Look White? Even though you can't go back and remix your yellow gold to look more silver or white, you can coat it with rhodium. Rhodium is a rare element that resists corrosion and gives the metal it coats an attractive and shiny white appearance.
Can the rhodium plating be removed if I want my jewelry to be yellow again? The only way to remove the rhodium finish is to mechanically polish it off. This is not difficult on a piece where all areas are accessible to polishing tools.
How Do I Fix It? Since the “yellowing” is just the rhodium plating wearing away, the simple way to fix it is to get the rhodium replaced. Take your white gold to the store you purchased it, and they will place a thin coat of rhodium over the gold, returning it to the shiny white color you had originally.
Most jewelry stores will charge anywhere from $50 - $75 to rhodium plate your ring. Remember, there are 6 steps (shown above) that are required. It's a time consuming process.
Time It Takes for Rhodium Plating to Wear Off
If you wear your dipped ring every day, it should last 2 to 5 years. With your earrings and necklaces, one dip may be enough.
Over time the rhodium will wear, and your white gold jewelry will need to be re-plated. Wearing rings every day - Your rings may need to be rhodium plated once every six months to once a year. Wearing rings for special occasions - Your ring may need to rhodium plated every 2-3 years.
When you see a yellowish tint in your white gold jewelry, it's not because of poor quality. Instead, you see the inner layer of gold alloy under the rhodium plating. Because rhodium is applied in such a thin layer, usually only a few microns thick, it can wear off over time.
The yellow color is the natural color of white gold before the rhodium plating. When white gold looks yellow the thin layer of rhodium has worn down, allowing the gold hue to come through. This happens to all white gold eventually.
Most jewelers recommend getting white gold jewelry like earrings, necklaces, or bracelets re-plated every 1-2 years. Jewelry pieces that are worn daily like rings, however, undergo quite a bit more wear and tear and should be coated more often, ideally every 3 months to a year.
How much does rhodium plating cost ? Typically the cost for rhodium plating can range from $60 – $120 for a fine engagement ring. The price may vary depending on the quality of the rhodium solution, the skill of the jeweller, turnaround time, and the finished effect.
In fact, Rhodium plating only lasts between 3 months and a year, depending on the amount of wear that can be seen. You will know when your rings need to be re-plated again, because you will start to see glimmers of yellow gold showing through the coating of the Rhodium plating.
Since it is an alloy of gold (which is yellow in its pure form) mixed with palladium, nickel, or silver, the typical color of white gold is actually a light creamy yellow. To ensure it has the same tintless color as platinum or silver, rhodium plating is quite necessary.
White gold is yellow gold with alloys (different metals) added to it to make it white. But it is akin to adding milk to orange juice—it stays pale yellow, never getting fully white. So virtually all white gold is rhodium plated.
How Can Yellow Gold Be Altered to Look White? Even though you can't go back and remix your yellow gold to look more silver or white, you can coat it with rhodium. Rhodium is a rare element that resists corrosion and gives the metal it coats an attractive and shiny white appearance.
A simple soap and water solution is all you need to clean plain gold necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bangles, and other ornaments. Cleaning your plain gold jewellery with soap water rids it of accumulated dirt and oils. This method is one of the fastest ways to restore your gold jewellery's shine without any hassles.
A common misconception is that rhodium plating only needs to be done once and is permanent. As it is a metal, like any other metal used in jewellery, it is susceptible to wear and tear through exposure. So most white gold pieces on average will need to be rhodium plated every 12-18 months.
If your white diamond has developed a yellowish tint, you can blame dirt or other substances. Even a light layer of dust or dirt can make a colorless diamond look yellow. Other possible culprits include hairspray, soap, and makeup. These substances can build up over time, making it look stained and discolored.
What to do with your wedding ring turning yellow ? Every 2/3 years, it is necessary to take your wedding ring and jewels in yellow gold to a jeweller for a new rhodium- plating, that will give the jewelry their original beauty and brightness back.
Baking soda, salt and aluminum foil.
Mix one tablespoon salt and one tablespoon of baking soda and mix with one cup warm water. Pour into the dish. The mixture will create a chemical reaction with the foil and bubble as it cleans the jewelry. Rinse with cool water and buff dry with a clean cloth.
Whether it be alcohol or non-alcohol based hand sanitizer, both can cause irreversible damage to your ring. Repeated use of alcohol based hand sanitizer can diminish the brilliance of your stones and metal shine, and loosen your engagement ring prongs. It can also cause buildup between your stones and metal.
Replating a white gold ring may cost around $100-$200. But it still depends on the thickness, quality of the rhodium, and the expertise of the jeweller.
"When you go a long time without redipping it can start to look patchy, and give your engagement ring a tie-dye effect. I personally don't recommend going with a white gold that needs to be dipped, just because it requires so much maintenance and upkeep.
Certain precious gemstones like diamonds, rubies, and sapphires are hard enough to withstand rhodium-plating and do not need to be removed during the rhodium-plating process.