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.
For all types of gold jewelry, we recommend Connoisseurs Dazzle Drops Advanced Jewelry Cleaner. With this non-toxic cleanser, you can utilize a fresh solution every time you clean for the most effective results. You can also try Connoisseurs Fine Jewelry Cleaner in the familiar red jar.
The acid in the vinegar can damage these delicate stones, leaving your jewelry looking less than its best. If you have gold jewelry with stones and want to clean it well, use mild soap and lukewarm water instead.
Baking soda is an excellent DIY cleaner perfect for cleaning precious metals like gold, silver, and gold-plated and silver-plated jewelry. You can even use it on costume jewelry to keep your jewelry pieces shiny.
While they won't damage your diamond, they can damage your gold. Windex won't hurt your ring, but it isn't a great cleaner either. So stick to mild soap and water, and six-month cleanings and check-ups at your jeweler.
The short answer is no. Toothpaste is not a good option for cleaning your ring. Toothpaste contains scrubbing particles to polish your teeth, but these particles are often harder than the metals in your ring, especially gold or white gold. Using toothpaste on your jewelry could cause scratches or pitting in the metal.
Remove any white gold jewellery before you carry out dirty or hands-on tasks. Don't swim while wearing white gold as the chemicals in the water (chlorine) can react with the plating. Remove white gold items when bathing and sleeping. Keep your white gold away from other metals.
Does Coke Clean Gold? This is a handy and maybe unexpected tip, but Coke does indeed clean gold. You can dip your gold in a small bowl of Coke and make sure that it is completely covered. Leave the gold plated jewelry in the solution for 10 minutes and then rub with a soft cloth and rinse.
Dish Detergent & Warm Water
The best homemade jewelry cleaning solution is a mixture of a few drops of Dawn dish detergent in warm, not hot, water. Let the piece sit in the solution for a few minutes, longer if it's very dirty, then gently scrub with a new, baby-size, soft toothbrush.
Gold jewelry can be cleaned with dish soap, ammonia glass cleaner, or even just hot water. As with silver, you can give it a good scrub when necessary, but be sure to use a soft toothbrush or other small brush designed specifically for jewelry.
When you see a yellow sheen on your white gold jewelry, it is not the result of oxidation or another chemical reaction, meaning the metal does not actually change color. The outer layer of rhodium slowly wears away over time, eventually revealing the creamy-yellow color of un-plated white gold.
SO WHY DOES WHITE GOLD TURN YELLOW? Most white gold jewelry is rhodium plated. As the rhodium plating is only a thin top layer, the rhodium plating tends to fade over time. This is especially true around prongs and corners, which get the most wear and tear.
Soaking a white gold piece in a mixture of mild soap and warm water for 20-30 minutes when it is dirty will prime it for cleaning. After soaking it, rub your jewelry with a soft cloth to take off the dirt. You can then rinse with lukewarm water to get rid of the extra soap. Dry it with a clean towel.
Silver/Gold
You can use a combination of 50% windex (yes, the window cleaner) mixed with 50% hydrogen peroxide. Put the mix in a small glass bowl (not metal or plastic) and soak your ring for about 15 minutes. The combination of products will remove oily buildup and - bonus - will kill any bacteria on the ring.
Soap – Steer clear of any soap with unknown ingredients. Basic blue Dawn dish soap is fine, but remove your gold jewelry before showering to avoid accumulating a film from other body washes. Chlorine – Chlorine, especially at high temperatures like in a hot tub, can permanently damage or discolor your gold jewelry.
First and foremost, while white gold is more durable than yellow gold, the fact that it is still 75% gold means that it is a soft metal – it can still be damaged by heavy scratches and hard contact. For that reason, it's important that you use a soft cloth when cleaning white gold rings.
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.
Wearing solid gold jewelry, white gold or yellow gold, in the shower will not harm the metal itself, however it can reduce the shine therefore it is not recommended. Showering with gold plated jewelry can eventually cause the gold layer to wear off completely, therefore you should definitely refrain from doing so.
While white gold may be more affordable to buy at first, keep in mind that it needs to be replated every five to 10 years to keep its color.
Submerging in Vinegar
Vinegar is another popular at-home solution for cleaning. But like lemon juice, vinegar is very acidic and will cause damage to your soft stones and plated jewelry. Soaking your jewelry in a bowl of vinegar will remove the jewelry's shine and finish.
Cleaning your ring by dropping into a bath of boiling water can cause the metal to expand and contract which can loosen gemstones. The boiling water can also cause cracks and fractures to form in gemstones. Bottom line. Don't do it.
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.